Sold At First Sight
by ColdCoffee123
Summary: For Alex, putting her life on the line for her job is easy, but when someone else's life is in her hands, it gets a lot more complicated - especially when that person is making her life difficult to begin with.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a new story idea I came up with inspired by the programme 'Bodyguard' - I highly recommend giving it a watch! **

**I'm hoping to make this more slow-burn compared to my other stories, but I'll see how that goes based on how patient I am. **

**Please let me know what you think in the reviews. **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Stepping out of her boss' office, Alex is pissed. Although still presenting herself in a professional manner when walking along the office space filled with colleagues in their cubicles; by the time she reaches her own private office, shutting the door behind her, Alex drops her act.

Walking around her large, wooden desk to her black leather desk chair, she takes a seat, relaxing her shoulders while doing so. For the past 5 years, the brunette had been working for the police force, and it wasn't until an incident during a case 3 years prior that she had taken a more salient role within the private sides of the force, whereby doing the underlying investigating work and individual protection took priority.

She's a big name in the office, and so in the moment the brunette is alone within the confines of her four office walls with only her own brain as company, she allows herself to momentarily break.

Her working life had been particularly stressful as of recent, but in having concluded one of the largest cases in her career to date and hearing just a few days later that she had a new appointment, it's something she isn't at all thrilled about.

As instructed, the brunette logs into her computer and checks her emails, immediately clicking into the one containing a more detailed recount of the information she had received from her boss.

Bodyguard work was something that often did not phase the older woman; looking after someone of a high calibre often brought its rewards, however in this instance she wasn't so sure. She had never been put in charge of the security of a person with _this high_ of a calibre, and she most definitely wasn't sure about how she felt in dealing with people that held strong political links.

_Piper Chapman_, she learns, is one of America's best criminal lawyers with a top education, a strong political profile and an array of experience, yet in need of tight security. She's been brought in to help work with the policing in New York on a particularly controversial case; with attention from the media on the upcoming trial and the surprise of her appointment, Alex has been tasked with ensuring her safety.

Alex doesn't know too much about the woman - being that she hasn't dealt with any of Piper's cases before, but she decides to leave her research for later, instead collecting the necessary equipment needed to go and meet with the woman she will be working with as instructed at the bottom of the screen in a bold font.

By the time the brunette reaches the outside of the needed government building - a place in which she learns her client has a meeting, she feels prepared to carry out her job, yet somewhat unsure as to what she should expect. She'd heard a few things about the blonde woman's attitude towards her work; she takes no shit and has her eyes on the prize, and although that's the kind of work ethic Alex admires, she hopes that doesn't make the woman a pain in the ass to work with.

In seeing a black Range Rover appearing, the brunette straightens up her posture, fixes her black blazer that matches her white shirt and black trousers, and touches the clear wired earpiece that's in her ear to ensure it's in place correctly. She watches the person inside open the back car door themselves - despite another member of the security team moving to open it, and a long set of legs - paired with black stilettos - get out the car.

It's in this moment that Alex - for the first time - sets her eyes on who she believes to be Piper Chapman. Her blonde hair is loosely resting just below her shoulders, while her body is covered in a dark blazer and skirt matched with a white shirt. The brunette watches closely as the woman shuts the car door herself - an indication that she isn't quite used to having people doing things for her, as she begins to strut away from the car and into the building with a folder of - what she assumes are - documents held up against her chest.

Moving from her position, Alex walks over to the blonde so that she's now walking next to her.

"Ms Chapman - I'm Alex Vause. I'm the new head of your security," the brunette begins in a professional tone, holding out her hand to the side for the blonde to shake.

"So I'd heard," Piper begins while still looking ahead, eventually turning to look at the older woman who had now removed her rejected hand. "I'm afraid there won't be much for you to do considering I'm only here for a meeting," she adds, sounding serious.

"I'm afraid it doesn't quite work like that, Ms Chapman," Alex responds, holding open the door for the blonde to enter the building. "My job is to protect you, meeting or no meeting."

The blonde, however, doesn't reply as they step onto an escalator and reach the small reception area whereby the man Piper was waiting to meet greets her.

Alex stands and watches the exchange - smiling while delivering an appreciative nod at the man who greets her also, and when the blonde walks into the all glass meeting room, the brunette stands to the side with her back against the wall, giving her a view of the room's entrance, anyone coming up the escalator, and the blonde herself.

"Eagle's in the meeting room, park the car up," the brunette says, index finger pushing against her earpiece.

Moments like these are ones in which Alex isn't particularly fond of. Meetings generally take quite some time, and the only thing she gets to do is stand and wait. While to some that may seem like an easy job, but to someone like the brunette, you can't afford to be off the ball; making sure that she's watching for all forms of movement and even the slightest form of suspicious activity is something she needs to focus on.

Feeling as though she's being watched, Alex turns her head to the right so that she's looking into the meeting room, whereby she observes a certain blonde looking her way. Unsure what to do with her gaze, she maintains the eye contact, wondering why Piper isn't using her notebook and pen to jot down notes like everyone else at the surrounding long table is doing while the person at the front leads a presentation.

The blonde - in a bold manner - doesn't look away from where her cheek is resting in her palm - elbow on the table - for a few more seconds, before turning away back towards the man talking at the front.

Using her eyes to scan the blonde for a further few seconds, Alex soon turns her head back to its original position, hoping that Piper isn't going to be a difficult client - something she's yet to experience, however something about the blonde indicates that this could be the case; there is a first time for everything.

Another 3 hours passes by and Alex finds herself wondering whether Piper is ever going to leave the room. In what now looks like a rather heated exchange between herself and another member of the table, the brunette observes the blonde stand up, pick up her belongings, and walk towards the door.

The metal handle on the glass door smashes against the adjacent wall, creating a large echo throughout the landing space where Alex is standing, and from what she can see now that the blonde is closer, Piper looks genuinely pissed.

The blonde heads straight for the escalator, not saying a word, to which Alex follows, standing behind her while pressing down once again on her earpiece.

"Ready for the car."

Reaching the bottom of the escalator, Alex senses the blonde's intentions having seen her treatment of the last glass door she opened upstairs - along with the security hazard if she were to let her go first, she outstretches her arm sideways, ensuring it blocks the path across the blonde's body.

"Follow me please, Ms Chapman," the brunette announces while looking into the blonde's eyes, which she notes for the first time are an angry shade of blue, before removing her arm and opening the door for the both of them.

Seeing the same black Range Rover waiting outside the building, Alex moves to open the door - again beating the blonde to the job, and moves back - an indication for Piper to get in.

"After you."

Piper - without saying a word - gets into the vehicle and Alex follows, shutting the door behind her.

The car is quiet as the blonde's driver pulls away and makes its way back to the blonde's apartment - somewhere Alex was yet to see.

The brunette senses the blonde isn't up for talking, and when she watches her out the corner of her eye place her folder into her bag and instead take out her phone to begin replying to a text message, she turns to look out the window, not wanting to invade the blonde's privacy, as ironic as that may be.

Around 20 minutes later the car comes to a standstill, indicating that they have arrived at the blonde's apartment. Piper thanks her driver - the first thing she had voiced since her seemingly bad meeting - before opening her door and stepping out - something that makes the brunette let out a harsh breath through her nose as she turns to open her own door and step out.

She follows Piper up a set of stairs and into the empty lobby of the building before walking over to the elevator while watching her press the button to request it's arrival.

"What're you doing?" the blonde asks, still looking forward as she senses Alex's presence arrive next to her.

"My job," Alex stoically responds as she turns to face the blonde sideways on so that she can watch both the arriving elevator open along with the building's entrance.

With everything presumably clear, the brunette follows the blonde into the elevator.

"What floor?" she asks, looking into the blonde's blue oceans.

"Penthouse," Piper replies.

_Of course it is_, Alex thinks to herself, pressing the button and turning her back to the door, lowering her arms and placing her right hand over her left wrist, waiting to reach Piper's floor.

When the doors eventually re-open, Alex steps out and waits for the blonde to take her to the door as she tries to fish out her keys.

"I've got that," the brunette says, placing her hand on top of the blonde's that is putting the key into the lock.

"It's fine. It's just a door," Piper counters, attempting to turn her wrist but is stopped by Alex's tightening grip.

"You won't be saying that if someone unexpected was behind it."

"Oh, please. Don't make my life sound that exciting," the blonde responds, finally removing her hand from under Alex's, letting the brunette move in front to turn the key and open the door so that she can lead the way in.

"Wait there," Alex voices once Piper shuts the door behind her.

"I'm not just going to wait here in my own home," the blonde begins, attempting to walk further into the apartment.

"Ms Chapman," Alex begins, turning to face the smaller woman, "you're going to have to do what I say as a matter of your safety, not about whether it's something you like or not. Let me do my job and then I'll be on my way," she says in a loud, yet still professional, tone.

With no response from the smaller woman, Alex turns back around and walks through the bottom floor of the apartment, inspecting for anyone or anything that shouldn't be there.

She notes that it's a wonderful living space that is luxurious yet gives off homely undertones; once she assesses the living space, the kitchen, the dining area, and an office-like room, she walks back towards where the blonde is waiting.

"You expecting anyone upstairs?" she asks while beginning to ascend the staircase.

"No," Piper replies, seeming spaced out.

Reaching the top of the staircase, the brunette again moves to check all the rooms - a guest room, a bathroom, another spare office-like room, and the master bedroom along with its en-suite. She browses along the set of picture frames on the blonde's chest of drawers - one from her college graduation, one with what looks like her family, and one with herself sitting next to a man who has his arm around her shoulder, both smiling into the camera.

"I could fish out some old albums if you'd like," a voice travels from the bedroom door.

Clenching her jaw, the brunette turns around, spotting the blonde standing in the door frame. She identifies that she is no longer wearing her blazer and her long sleeve white shirt is rolled up to her elbows. In any other situation she wouldn't be able to look away, but Alex finds herself agitated by the woman before her.

"I thought I told you to stay downstairs."

"I was checking no one had murdered you," the blonde replies in a sarcastic fashion, moving back out the way as Alex moves to exit the room.

"I meant it when I said I'm only trying to do my job," Alex begins, but grows more agitated at the sight of Piper's staring gaze, seeming as though she isn't listening to everything she's saying.

"Ms Chapman?" she prompts, causing the blonde to blink and move to start descending back down the staircase.

"Well if you had a job like mine and had a day like mine, having to deal with another person isn't exactly something you'd wish for."

"I'm guessing the meeting went well then," Alex probes, following Piper down the stairs.

"Oh, I'd just bore you with all of the political shit they try and feed you."

"I see," Alex pauses as they reach the bottom of the stairs and walk until they take a halt in the lounge area. "Do you live alone?" she goes on to ask while scanning her eyes over the set of pictures above the fireplace, noting the man from the picture upstairs making an appearance once again.

"Well does it look like anyone else is here?" Piper smartly asks before Alex turns her way, giving her a stern look that tells the blonde not to fuck with her more than she already has. "Yes, I live alone," she pauses before going on to add: "That's Larry by the way," she nods her head towards the picture she saw the taller woman analysing, "my boyfriend."

"Good to know," Alex says, delivering a close-lipped smile.

"So if there would be anyone here other than me, it would be him."

"Again: good to know," the brunette repeats, adjusting her blazer. "I'll see you at pick up tomorrow morning, Ms Chapman," she announces,moving to head for the front door.

"Call me Piper," the blonde says, having followed her companion into the hallway. "Ms Chapman makes me sound old."

"I'm afraid that's against my obligation," Alex turns after opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, _Ms Chapman_," she adds with emphasis before walking out, not wanting to hear another smart comment coming from the blonde's mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the positive reviews so far! **

**This one starts from Piper's view point linked to the events from the previous chapter - it's not something I feel is always necessary, but it'll be quite important in this story as I'm sure you'll start to notice. **

**Let me know what you think! **

* * *

Standing in front of her full length bedroom mirror, Piper adjusts the buttons on her shirt. She assesses her reflection - coming to the conclusion that her look is satisfactory enough, before moving to put on her watch that's resting on her nearby dressing table. While fiddling with its clasp, she looks over to the picture frames covering the wooden surface, sighing to herself - another reminder that they're in need of a change. Sure, the one from her graduation is bearable, but the one of her family doesn't exactly give her positive vibes, and the one of herself and Larry isn't something she particularly likes looking at every morning - another reminder of her boyfriend's overbearing nature throughout the first few months of their flailing relationship in which, after 2 months of being together, he presented the framed image as a gift.

The blonde had been with Larry for what is coming up to 8 months, and although it initially began as something Piper thought could be the breath of fresh air she needed, she couldn't have been more wrong. Like most of the people she had been with, work kept them busy - doesn't she know it herself, but when Larry - after 5 months of being together - accepted a job as a travelling writer for some unknown publication in Europe, she knew he was no different from the others. If she was being honest to herself, the relationship had no spark, and in not wanting to be shitty in approaching it over the phone, she had vowed to wait until she next saw Larry in person to address it - when that would be, she still didn't know.

Moving throughout her apartment to grab all of her necessary belongings, Piper smiles as she closes the window in the kitchen and sees her driver parking up outside. Well, in saying _her _driver, the concept is still rather new to the blonde. She doesn't like the idea of people doing everything for her, but in being told it was mandatory - as well as the fact that her car is still with her younger brother, Cal, she has no option other than to go with it.

Making her way through her building and out the front entrance, the blonde opens the Range Rover's back door and smiles as she sits down in the leather chair, closing the door over behind her. She greets her driver - a 45 year old man named Marcus, and they converse for a while about what the blonde has planned for the day as well Piper asking about the well-being of the older man's two younger children and heavily pregnant wife.

After another 10 minutes, Piper takes out her phone. She sees a message from Larry bragging about his latest location - something that makes her eyes roll back, and while she chooses not to reply, she opens a subsequent message from her best friend, Polly, wishing her luck for her meeting - something she does reply to.

Clicking into her emails is what reminds the blonde that today is the day she is meant to be meeting with her new security team. Despite expressing that she doesn't need anyone to look after her - her job doesn't make her unsafe in any way, under the insistence of the other elite members of her law firm and advice from the police chief whom she has previously worked with, the blonde had no choice but to give in.

All she knew about the matter is that she will be personally looked after by an 'Alex Vause'. She can picture him now with his rippling muscles, sharp beard and sleeved tattoos, but nothing about that makes her feel any different about the fact that she doesn't want - as well as doesn't need - someone breathing over her shoulder 24/7.

As the car stops at a set of traffic lights near the location of her meeting, Piper sees a small group of people dressed in black waiting at the building's entrance. These people - she assumes - are members of her new security team, and in not seeing a version resembling the large, muscular man she had envisioned, she squints her eyes while jutting her neck further forward to assess the person at the front.

From what she can gather, this person seems to be in charge, and when the traffic lights turn green - allowing the car to turn onto the road of the government building, Piper gets a better view. With perfect posture, tied up black hair, and black glasses - again, from what Piper can make out - stands a woman - a rather stunning one she notes in her head. In seeing the very woman turn and lock eyes on the car she's currently in, followed by talking into - assumingly - an earpiece, the other members disperse into different spots, leaving the tall woman standing on her own at the entrance's centre, seemingly establishing her dominance over the situation, _this should be fun_, the blonde thinks.

For the first time in a long time, Piper feels an element of panic - a sense of not knowing how to act around a person, and when the car stops outside the building, giving the blonde an even better view of the woman standing nearby, she quickly decides how she's going to play this - doing what she does best: pretend.

Thanking her driver - telling him to have a nice day, the blonde steps out of the car and closes the door behind her, making sure to adjust the folder in her hand so that it is in a comfortable position. Pretending as though she can't see the dark-haired woman walking over to her, Piper starts to make her way towards the building in front, reminding herself to follow through with her plan.

"Ms Chapman - I'm Alex Vause. I'm the new head of your security," a husky voice introduces themselves - something Piper wasn't expecting, and if it weren't for the fact she was focused on maintaining her composure, she may have let the sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through her body get the better of her.

From her peripheral vision she sees the taller woman holding out her hand - a request for an introductory handshake, but knowing that will ruin the way in which she is trying to carry herself, Piper keeps her head forward, only choosing to turn after seeing it being retracted.

"So I'd heard. I'm afraid there won't be much for you to do considering I'm only here for a meeting," she replies, using a serious tone of voice.

"I'm afraid it doesn't quite work like that, Ms Chapman," the woman responds, holding open the door for Piper to walk through. "My job is to protect you, meeting or no meeting."

Piper would be lying to herself if she wasn't impressed with the way in which the woman is carrying herself, and although she can sense that she means business, an element about the brunette is intimidating - something Piper isn't quite sure how comfortable she finds.

While she perceives the idea of someone of such dominance following her around infuriating, the thought of this woman being the one doing so seems even more infuriating - why that is, she isn't yet sure.

About 30 minutes into her meeting, Piper finds herself growing restless. With her cheek resting against her palm, supported by her elbow resting on the table, she gazes outside the glass wall, knowing her lack of focus will go unnoticed while everyone surrounding her seems to have their heads buried in their note taking.

Sucking in her lower lip, she drags her eyes down the form of the woman - _Alex_, she reminds herself - standing in a professional manner with her right wrist crossed over her left dangling at the front of her body. The woman's side profile, she identifies, is a refreshing sight, but in how she's defining 'refreshing' she isn't quite too sure. Maybe the woman would be someone to talk to - patch up her growing loneliness, or maybe they won't even see eye to eye with what already seems like incompatible dominant working personalities.

When the woman's head suddenly turns, however, Piper gets her answer. The brunette stands - her body unmoved from its previous position - with an intimidating poker face. Her eyes - which the blonde notes for the first time - are an emerald green, and if it weren't for the fact that the man at the front begins to continue on with his presentation, Piper may have been able to see what is really going on behind the taller woman's eyes.

Of course, knowing she's being watched at all times is a daunting thought for the blonde, and so throughout the next 3 hours, with - what she hopes are - subtle glances towards the woman standing on the other side of the glass, along with the annoyance of the people surrounding her at the meeting table, Piper slowly begins to lose it. When - at the all male table - a sexist slur is thrown her way about a woman being put in charge, in true Chapman style, the blonde stands up, delivers some words that may or may not come back to haunt her, collects her things, and storms out the room.

She watches Alex's eyes follow her movements - even more annoyed by the fact the other woman doesn't even look the slightest bit phased by how she's acting, and it isn't until she reaches the door downstairs that the woman - despite trying to ensure her eyes didn't have a mind of their own throughout their exchange - begins to further test her patience.

When an arm stretches across her body to block her path, followed by the polite instructions to follow after, Piper clenches her jaw, internally questioning why of all people she's been given this form of pointless protection.

Eventually getting into the car, for the first time that afternoon, Piper somewhat relaxes - grateful for the silence. As she shuffles with her belongings to replace her folder with her phone, she feels Alex's eyes on her movements, but in not wanting to strike up a conversation, she refuses to look the brunette's way, instead choosing to send a message to Polly - providing a follow-up to her good luck message she had received earlier that morning.

When they reach her apartment, Piper can't wait to take off her heels and perhaps drown her shitty day with a glass or two of wine. Ensuring to thank her driver, she exits the car - noticing the act wasn't something Alex approved of, and heads into the building.

"What're you doing?" she asks as she feels Alex standing next to her while waiting for the elevator.

"My job," the brunette stoically responds while turning sideways as the elevator arrives.

_Oh so this is how she wants to play_, Piper thinks to herself as she steps into the opening method of transportation.

"What floor?" Alex asks, not particularly giving off any form of emotion as their eyes connect.

"Penthouse," the blonde announces, growing somewhat agitated as the taller woman turns to press the button, offering no further form of comment.

When the door opens, Piper follows the brunette out the elevator while rummaging through her bag for her keys. Finally managing to pull them out, she inserts the key into the door, but before she gets the chance to turn her hand and open the door, she feels Alex's hand cover her own, impeding her movements.

"I've got that."

"It's fine. It's just a door," Piper counters, attempting to turn her wrist but is again stopped by Alex's tightening fingers.

"You won't be saying that if someone unexpected was behind it."

"Oh, please. Don't make my life sound that exciting," the blonde responds, removing her hand to let Alex turn the key and open the door.

During the process, she can't help but watch the movement of the taller woman's hand, admiring the length of her fingers, as well as the veins running across her hand's surface - a sign of her healthy blood flow.

"Wait there," Alex announces as Piper follows her inside and shuts the door behind her.

"I'm not just going to wait here in my own home," the blonde counters, finding the whole idea of having security inspect her own home ridiculous.

"Ms Chapman," Alex begins as she turns to face the blonde, "you're going to have to do what I say as a matter of your safety, not about whether it's something you like or not. Let me do my job and then I'll be on my way," she says in a loud, yet still professional, tone.

Not quite knowing what to say to the woman before her, Piper remains quiet and stays in her position by the front door. Tilting her head to the side slightly, she can't help but admire the way in which the taller woman's trousers accentuate her ass with their tight fit; nor can she take her eyes away from the dark-haired woman in general as she catches glimpses of her moving from room to room, carefully analysing the look of concentration she has on her face.

"You expecting anyone upstairs?" she hears Alex ask as she begins to walk up the stairs, catching her off guard.

"No," Piper admits, hoping the brunette didn't notice that she was momentarily distracted.

When the taller woman is out of view, Piper moves from her spot to go into the kitchen before she gets a better idea. In wanting to test the older woman - elicit at least _some_ form of emotion other than a poker face, she heads back to the mouth of her staircase where she lines up with the mirror hanging off the wall and takes off her black blazer, resting it on the banister. She undoes the small wrist buttons on either side of her shirt and rolls its long sleeves up to her elbows, making sure to ruffle up her hair slightly while looking at her reflection. Satisfied with how she looks, Piper heads up the staircase in search of Alex.

In hearing the small creak of the door belonging to her room's en-suite - indicating the brunette's whereabouts, the blonde walks along the corridor and to the opening of her bedroom where she stands in the door frame.

Piper watches the dark-haired woman looking at the pictures on the side of the table, if only she knew, she reflects before deciding to announce her presence.

"I could fish out some old albums if you'd like," she says with the kind of tone that just screams _smart-ass_.

It's in this moment she knows she's succeeded in her task in making the woman before her show something other than a straight face, and as she can see she's clearly tested Alex's patience, the blonde isn't complaining about the subtle once-over the brunette's eyes carry out over her body at her new state of dress, _very interesting,_ she thinks to herself.

"I thought I told you to stay downstairs," Alex says through a clenched jaw.

"I was checking no one had murdered you," Piper responds sarcastically while moving back as a charging Alex walks her way and out the room.

"I meant it when I said I'm only trying to do my job," Alex begins, but everything she's saying goes straight over the blonde's head; something about the angry green gaze boring a hole into her down blue eyes intrigues Piper, as well as the fact that those very eyes had been doing their own form of job with their _inspecting_ just a few seconds earlier.

"Ms Chapman?" Alex prompts, causing Piper to snap out of her plotting thoughts and begin to lead the way back down the staircase.

"Well if you had a job like mine and had a day like mine, having to deal with another person isn't exactly something you'd wish for."

"I'm guessing the meeting went well then," Alex probes as her footsteps match the pattern of the blonde's.

"Oh, I'd just bore you with all of the political shit they try and feed you."

"I see," Alex says as Piper takes her into the lounge area. "Do you live alone?" she goes on to ask, throwing Piper somewhat off guard, _surely you'd have seen someone else's things here if I did_, she contemplates.

Eyeing the brunette, the blonde notices her gaze is locked with a picture of herself and Larry that rests above her fireplace, causing her lips to raise into a small smile.

"Well does it look like anyone else is here?" she can't help but ask, but with the look of warning she receives, Piper goes on to explain that she does in fact live alone.

"That's Larry by the way," she unnecessarily adds, wanting to see the brunette's reaction. "My boyfriend."

"Good to know," Alex says, delivering a close-lipped smile - something which Piper doesn't quite know how to interpret.

"So if there would be anyone here other than me, it would be him," she decides to explain, hoping to elicit more of a response from Alex even though that technically is a lie; she hadn't seen Larry in months and doesn't think that'll be changing anytime soon either.

"Again: good to know," the brunette repeats while adjusting her blazer. "I'll see you at pick up tomorrow morning, Ms Chapman," she announces, moving back to the front door.

"Call me Piper," the blonde announces from where she's too now standing in the hallway by the front door. "Ms Chapman makes me sound old."

"I'm afraid that's against my obligation," Alex turns after opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, _Ms Chapman_," she adds with emphasis before walking out.

With the front door open, Piper watches the brunette walk towards the door just to the right of the elevator which takes her to the building's staircase, _of course she'd fucking take the stairs_, the blonde thinks, seeing it as a fitting trait belonging to the pedantic woman.

Closing over the door, she untucks her shirt from her skirt and heads towards her living room, taking a seat on the sofa and pulling her laptop onto her thighs. Opening the screen, Piper opens a new browser, typing: _Alex Vause_ into the search engine.

As expected, the page doesn't really take her anywhere, only giving her some information on some Facebook pages - all of which weren't belonging to the Alex Vause she was looking for, a number of obituary notices, and some articles about some of the world's famous Alex's.

She tries everything from adding: _bodyguard_, to _government_, to _tall with glasses_ \- the latter proving to be as pointless as it sounded when she typed it - and still nothing resulted.

In what must have been at least 20 minutes of wracking her brain around the topic, the blonde finally comes up with a more suitable thing to type in: _Alexandra Vause_.

It what felt like she'd hit the jackpot - albeit limited, Piper is blessed with some more information about her mysterious bodyguard. She learns about some of Alex's previous work linked to murders, fraud, and even kidnappings, but in looking at the dates of the written publications, she notes that the information about the brunette doesn't expand past 2016, almost as though she'd been erased from the web entirely past that point.

Overall, Piper didn't really learn anything new about the brunette; the information all but confirmed that she didn't take shit from anyone, but in seeing the way in which Piper was able to push her buttons and elicit some form of reaction, she was looking forward to seeing what it would be like to do more than just push her buttons. More so, she wanted to look into the motives of _that look_ she caught Alex giving her; something about it makes the blonde bite down on her lower lip as she closes over her laptop while sitting back into her leather sofa, thinking of the best way to construct her game plan.

* * *

In a similar fashion, seated her dark living room, Alex finds herself doing the research she generally conducts on her clients, except this time she assumes she'll need to do a little more digging to really get the information she needs.

She learns that Piper graduated as valedictorian at Smith College with the highest possible honours - something that doesn't surprise her in the slightest, and that she has two brothers: one older, Danny, and one younger, Cal. Her parents, by the sound of it, are still alive and together, but then again, with someone brought up in a privileged household like the blonde, what's written on paper often tends to be the opposite of the truth.

Her next piece of necessary research - or at least that's what she's telling herself - is to look into the blonde's so-called boyfriend. Typing in: _Piper Chapman and Larry_ into the search engine - reminding herself to probe for the man's surname, the brunette's luck runs out - something which could indicate one of two things: their relationship isn't public knowledge, or, quite frankly, no one happens to care about Piper's romantic life - a fact she, however, has her doubts about.

She browses through several YouTube videos featuring the blonde delivering speeches on the flaws present in the current criminal justice system, and if it weren't for the fact that the blonde had proven to be so difficult when the act of compliance came to the table, she would have had some admiration for the woman. She does, however, appreciate the way in which the blonde carries herself in a professional setting; her appearance is sophisticated, highlighting her natural beauty, and if it weren't for the fact that it was her role to protect her, Alex would continue browsing through the videos and images of the blonde in a fashion that would indicate to a regular person that she had some form of obsession.

Putting away her laptop, the brunette sits back and runs a hand through her now loosened hair, trying to think of a way to stop the blonde from getting inside her head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Some of you read my mind with your suggestions, so I hope you enjoy this one...**

**I've just finished university for the year, so hopefully I can get some more writing done in the next few months I have off. **

**Please go ahead and leave a review! **

* * *

The sound of a vibrating device is what drags Alex out of her sleeping slumber. Turning onto her side - without checking the caller ID, she accepts the call, putting the device up to her ear.

"Hello," she greets, her voice sounding huskier than normal due to her just-woken state.

"Alex!" Piper's voice fills the line, causing the brunette to sit up in bed. "I need you to come over. It's all over the kitchen," she adds, sounding panicked.

"Lock all the doors. I'm on my way," Alex responds, getting up to get changed quickly.

Getting into her blue BMW, the brunette races to Piper's apartment, and although the blonde had been testing her patience throughout the first few weeks they had been working together, she had never called her over the phone expressing an issue - something, to Alex, that sounded genuine.

The blonde had seemed to be enjoying the little game of chess she was conducting, from frequently asking Alex about why she wasn't allowed to call her by her first name, to running around her apartment whenever the brunette was trying to check the rooms, to - what Alex had tried her very best to take no notice of - dressing in more provocative ways - especially when the two of them were alone: from undoing more buttons than necessary to wearing sinfully short skirts. Of course Alex knew nothing would - or even could - come of it: Piper has a boyfriend, but she can't help but wonder if the blonde's seemingly increasing flirtatious acts are a part of her personality or an ongoing act.

Having arrived at the blonde's apartment, Alex moves through the building and into the elevator - deciding that the stairs weren't a good idea considering the blonde could be in genuine trouble. Reaching Piper's floor, Alex goes to knock on the door but sees that it's slightly opened from it's hinge. Reaching to her side, she releases the button from the top of her holster and places her hand onto her pistol - something she doesn't like having to carry, but in moments like these, it's her duty to, as well as the fact that, if need be, she'd be required to use it.

Pushing the door open, the first thing the brunette notices is that the apartment is silent - something that renders her brain into thinking of the several possibilities that could be related - mainly whether the blonde is alone or not. As she closes over the door and takes a large step into the apartment, she hears a noise coming from the kitchen.

Taking her pistol out of her holster, Alex approaches the kitchen slowly from the side so that she can't be seen, before finally moving her body around the side, holding the gun upwards.

"Don't move," the brunette shouts as she steps into the kitchen, fully in sight.

"What the fuck, Alex?!" Piper shouts from where she's standing in the kitchen, and from as far as the brunette can tell, the blonde looks untouched.

"Ms Chapman! Are you okay?" she asks, putting her gun away before moving to walk further into the kitchen.

"Wait!" Piper shouts, putting both of her hands out in front of her. "Stay there."

Raising her eyebrows at the blonde's actions, Alex looks down to see a large puddle of water surrounding the kitchen floor. Looking back up at Piper, it's the first time Alex allows herself to look at what the blonde is wearing. Her torso is covered by a light blue shirt that is rolled up to her elbows while her lower half has on a black pair of shorts, which - in considering how short they are - shouldn't really classify as a pair of shorts at all.

No matter how hard she tells herself not to stare, Alex is caught by how little of the blonde's skin is covered by her outfit; her shirt may as well not be buttoned up at all considering her full chest is practically on show, and as her eyes lower to actually set on Piper's chest, she notices that her shirt is soaked, and even worse, the blonde isn't wearing a bra.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Alex shouts from where she's standing, hoping that getting angry will cover up the fact that she had just spent way too long checking out the blonde.

"What? The washing machine broke and I didn't know who else to call."

"Ms Chapman," Alex begins, biting down on her tongue to try and remain somewhat professional. "I don't believe that fixing your household appliances comes under my job description. Why didn't you call a friend or even your boyfriend?"

"Because I didn't know what else to do, okay?" Piper screams back, seeming unnecessarily angry.

"Why did you leave the front door open? Anyone could have gotten in!"

"I left it open for you to get in," Piper argues, almost as though sounding like she's stating the obvious. "Will you please get me the fucking mop?" she asks, pointing towards the small cupboard that is under her staircase.

Turning away, Alex goes to grab the mop, while ensuring to place her blazer onto the bannister in the meantime. She's annoyed at the blonde - in fact, annoyed is an understatement, and when she walks back into the kitchen, even the sight of the smaller woman makes her blood boil.

"I'll deal with this," she announces, alluding to the flooded kitchen floor. "Go and change," she adds.

Piper, meanwhile, bends down to pick up her washing basket filled with soaked clothes, which gives Alex a front-row seat to a view of her ass in the shorts that may as well not be there. Unable to look away from the sight before her. Alex is glad that the blonde isn't facing her way, but when the blonde does - fortunately still looking down as she picks up some socks that had fallen onto the floor, the brunette is blessed - or maybe cursed in this instance - of a view down the blonde's shirt.

Closing over her eyes, Alex looks away and steps backwards to make room for the blonde to exit the room. When she does eventually pass, Piper places her hands on the brunette's bicep, squeezing slightly.

"Thank you, Alex," she says genuinely before disappearing.

Where she's now standing alone in the blonde's flooded kitchen floor, Alex lets out a sigh. Yes, it's her job to protect the blonde, but something about their exchange seemed to suggest otherwise. Piper was testing her - she'd known this since they'd first met, but this was the first time Alex allowed herself to wonder what the blonde's motives really were.

Nearly an hour later, having cleared most of the mess, Alex decides to head upstairs to go and find Piper, ready to announce that she's going to head off home.

When walking along the corridor leading to the blonde's bedroom, she hears what sounds like a conversation taking place.

"No, Mom, I can't make it. Cal still has my car. I know I promised I would, but I can't come over if there's no way I can get there," the blonde argues while Alex tries to keep her presence unknown.

As she listens in to the conversation, the brunette shuffles from where she's standing to try and get a view of the blonde. The door is slightly pushed over, leaving a slit of vision through the hinge, and as an image of the blonde finally comes into view - for the third time that day - Alex scans her eyes over Piper's state of dress.

Her wet hair is tied up in a messy bun while a white towel is wrapped around her body from her chest down, indicating that she had just gotten out the shower.

"You know what, Mom. I'm not doing this right now. If I show up, I show up. If I don't, I don't."

Alex watches the blonde throw her phone down onto the bed before placing her hands over her face, seemingly stressed out over the conversation she had just had with her mother. Another few seconds later, just when she was least expecting it, Piper lowers her towel to reveal that underneath she's dressed in nothing but a black thong. Alex's eyes widen as she watches the blonde's form from behind - a view she isn't complaining about, but one she knows she shouldn't be looking at. Piper takes a few steps closer towards her dressing table to pick up a shirt - which she subsequently drops onto the floor and bends over to pick it up.

That's the final straw for Alex; the moment in which she tells herself that she can no longer hide how attractive she finds the woman whose safety is in her hands, and although it comes as a revelation momentarily, if anything, it's a sign to not get too invested in the blonde; she has been a pain in the ass to work with.

What Alex isn't aware of is the fact that since the moment she resided outside of the blonde's bedroom door, her attempts at being discrete weren't so subtle. If her shadow that darkened the line of light shining through the door or the sound of her footsteps coming up the stairs weren't a giveaway, the sight of her peeking through the wooden gap sure as hell was. The blonde, however, knew she was being watched the moment Alex had arrived, and although she was on the phone to her mother, she had other plans as to how she would catch the brunette's attention.

Alex, meanwhile, remained transfixed by the blonde before her; Piper is now standing upright having picked up her shirt and stands in front of her body-length mirror where she puts on and begins to slowly button up the garment. The brunette's eyes follow the blonde's hands until they reach the blonde's chest, whereby they pause and fiddle with the button teasingly.

Scanning her eyes upwards, Alex's green orbs are met with the reflection of Piper's blue eyes through the mirror, delivering back a piercing gaze. The pair continue watching one another for another few seconds as Piper's fingers begin to move again, this time shuffling back to the button she had previously done up, only to begin to unbutton it again while keeping her eyes locked on Alex's.

Turning her body to the side so that she can no longer watch, Alex lets out a heavy breath as she now leans against the wall of the hallway, all of a sudden feeling _very_ affected by the blonde. Not wanting to make their next exchange any more awkward than it could possibly get, the brunette - without so much as looking at the bedroom door - rushes back along the corridor and back down the stairs, hoping that Piper will be fully dressed by the time she reappears.

5 minutes later, from where she's standing in the - now cleaned up - kitchen looking out the window, Alex hears Piper coming back down the stairs, causing her to clench her jaw.

"Not a bad job," the blonde announces when she appears - thankfully fully clothed, Alex notes once she turns around.

"I think you'll be needing a new one of those," Alex points out, looking over at the broken washing machine, but Piper offers no response, instead just watching the brunette while leaning against the door frame. "What?" she goes on to ask.

"Working suits you. That's all."

"Maybe you should try it sometime," Alex scoffs.

"Well since I now know how good it looks on you, I might just have to pass on that one," the blonde replies flirtatiously, scanning her eyes down the brunette's tall frame while biting down on her bottom lip.

Feeling like things are getting out of hand despite how minimal they are, Alex moves from her position as she wades to the other side of the room, ensuring she rounds the kitchen island so that it separates herself from the blonde, almost acting like a buffer.

"Where abouts do your parents live then?" Alex asks.

"Connecticut. I was meant to be visiting this weekend, but I let my brother borrow my car for his road trip thinking it was only one week, not one month," Piper responds, chuckling lightly in a self deprecating manner while stepping further into the room, leaning against the closest kitchen counter. "I don't go home very often because of work, so my Mom wasn't too pleased, but I don't really know anyone who would be willing to drive me on such late notice. Unless…" the blonde begins, looking up at Alex with a tilt of her head as though she had just had a light bulb moment in her head.

"Unless what?"

"Unless I need someone to save me from my parents," Piper smiles, walking over to the kitchen island, closing some of the distance between them despite the physical barrier.

"Piper - I'm not here to just go on trips with you."

"But I thought your job is to protect me; to _watch_ me," the blonde counters, sliding her hands outwards along the edge of the island as she speaks flirtatiously with emphasis when talking about watching - a reminder of what had not long just happened in her bedroom.

"Only when you're working; when you're at risk."

"What if I said this was a dangerous trip?"

"But it isn't."

"You don't know that," the blonde counters, biting down on her lip while staring at the brunette with persuasive eyes.

"Fine," Alex voices, giving in under the blonde's gaze, yet trying to tell herself that she's helping the woman out of an underlying fear that something could happen and it'll come back to ruin her career. "When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I'll be here at 7, Ms Chapman," Alex says, wanting to try and establish some dominance over the conversation before moving back to the hallway to grab her blazer and leave the apartment without looking behind.

* * *

The pair make it to Connecticut in good time the following day, and despite Piper's protests that the brunette could join her in staying at her parents' house, Alex refused, instead opting to stay in a nearby hotel. In her continual stubborn ways, the blonde then too decided to stay in the hotel rather than with her parents, with her explanation consisting of making it easier for Alex to do her job, despite the taller woman's eye roll when she first heard the excuse.

The blonde had bought two rooms at a luxury hotel close to her parents' house, and along with Alex's security request, Piper researched and made sure she chose the rooms that had a door in between, ensuring that, if need be, Alex could check on the blonde - a precaution she needed to follow.

Despite coming to her hometown to see her family, Piper also took up the opportunity to meet with some friends that she rarely gets the chance to see, meaning that Alex, despite not really wanting to go out, had to tag along.

"You know you don't have to come if you don't want to," Piper says as they walk along the street on their way to a local bar.

"As much as I'd rather be lying in bed right now, you know I can't do that, Ms Chapman."

"Alex, how many times have I said to call me Pi-"

"But I'll only be looking out from a far. Give you some time with your friends," Alex interrupts, not letting Piper finish her sentence.

"You and I both know that nothing is going to happen here, Alex. Just live a little," the blonde responds, bumping her arm into the taller woman's.

_If only you knew_, Alex thinks to herself as they approach the bar, beginning what is bound to be an interesting night for the both of them.

* * *

"So you work for Piper?" a feminine voice asks, causing Alex to turn to the side from where she's seated on a bar stool with a perfect view of Piper's table.

"Something like that," Alex responds, eyes taking in the woman before her.

She admits that the woman is attractive - very attractive, and along with her long, blonde hair and blue eyes, the brunette can't help but think this could be the very excuse she was looking for to take her mind off the recent stresses her life seems to be continually presented with.

"Did she tell you that I do?" Alex goes on to ask, genuinely curious.

"She mentioned someone was here for a matter of her safety."

"I see. What made you think it was me?"

"You're sitting on your own in a busy bar and you can't seem to look away from our table."

_Our table?_, Alex thinks, suddenly intrigued.

"Are you two friends or something?"

"Not really - more like acquaintances. I'm staying with one of the other women at the table for the rest of the week before I go back home."

"Where is home for you then?"

"New Jersey, but I work a lot of the time in New York," the woman responds before moving to finally sit down next to the brunette. "Can I get you a drink?" she adds, tilting her head while delivering a toothy smile.

* * *

For Piper, being in the company of her friends was somewhat refreshing, yet at the same time, tiring. She felt some comfort in the fact that Alex was watching from afar, but as she takes a glance over towards the bar to see if the brunette is still there, her jaw locks and her eyes widen at what she sees before her.

Alex - indeed still in the same seat she had been in for the near 2 hours they had been at the bar - is sitting - rather closely - to one of the women who had not long ago been sitting at their table. She assesses the way the blonde - whom she remembers is called Amelia - is obviously into the brunette, and if it weren't for her body language, the way in which she seems to be laughing at nearly everything coming out of Alex's mouth speaks volumes.

Although Piper had insisted several times throughout the day that Alex didn't have to watch her; she isn't at work, seeing that Alex - the ever serious professional when it came to her job - could be distracted by the presence of a younger woman, her blood begins to boil. Yes, she knows she made it clear that Alex wasn't obliged to care about working this weekend, but the blonde didn't think she would actually go as far as entertaining company like she currently is.

In seeing the barman approach the two woman to collect the empty glasses in front of them and listen to their latest order, Piper can no longer watch.

Excusing herself from the table through a fake close-lipped smile, the blonde heads towards the bathroom, wondering how long it'll take for Alex to appear - if she does at all that is.

Locking herself in an empty cubicle at the furthest side of the room, the blonde waits for the sound of the main door to open, and after 5 minutes of hearing nothing, she gets up from where she was seated on the shut toilet lid, only to pause when a squeaking door echoes throughout the room.

"Ms Chapman?" she hears Alex ask, causing her eyes to close over and her shoulders to drop.

Flushing the unused toilet and opening the cubicle, Piper offers no response and moves to wash her hands.

"Are you okay? You were in there a while," the brunette asks, sounding somewhat concerned.

"Hmm, how very observant of you," Piper responds, fighting hard to not voice what she was really thinking: _I'm surprised you even noticed I was gone_.

"I had a call from my Dad so I'm heading to see my parents," she adds in an attempt to sound nonchalant.

"Let's go then."

"Alone."

"Ms Chapman-"

"Alex - you should be able to enjoy your evening without worrying about me. You even said it: your job is to look after me when I'm working. I'm in a different state and going to see my family. I don't expect you to come with me; as a matter of fact, I need to go alone."

"Are you sure? I can drive you and wait outside?" the brunette probes, wanting to ensure the woman in front of her is certain.

"Positive. I don't know what time I'll be back, but don't wait up for me," Piper responds as she moves back from the sinks to collect some tissue to dry her hands. "Enjoy the rest of your evening," she adds, giving a half-hearted toothy smile as she throws the tissue into the bin and walks out the bathroom, ensuring their shoulders brush against one another while exiting.

Opening the Uber app on her phone, Piper selects the address belonging to her parents and in seeing that it'll be arriving in 2 minutes, she hopes that she'll be able to keep herself in check.

* * *

At this moment in time, the blonde doesn't regret telling Alex she was going to her parents' house when she was actually just heading back to their hotel. A part of her didn't want to give the other woman any satisfaction in the game she was trying to play, but if she were being honest with herself, she just couldn't stand being in that bar any longer.

It's now 1:00 am and Piper is lying in her bed with all the lights off staring into the ceiling. Sleep isn't coming her way, and no matter how many times she tries to distract herself and preoccupy her mind, nothing seems to work; her brain immediately goes back to thinking about why in which Alex still isn't home and what she could be doing this early in the morning.

Her mind is finally somewhat put at ease when she hears the sound of the closing front door coming from Alex's hotel room - a sign that she had finally returned. A subsequent bout of silence follows, causing Piper to sit up in bed, hoping that an increased leverage will help detect any form of movement. When nothing can be heard, she falls down onto her back, hoping that she can now at least get some sleep.

The thought that she would be getting sleep anytime soon goes out the window, as when a large crash, followed by giggling laughter, rings out from the brunette's room, Piper's eyes widen; Alex isn't alone.

Getting up out her bed, the blonde walks over to the door joining their two rooms together, resting her head against it, but doesn't dare open it - not when she doesn't know what it is she could be walking into.

She tries to tell herself that she had misheard; it was Alex herself that had dropped something and laughed at her error, but that theory all comes crashing down by the next version of events - something that makes Piper wish she hadn't even asked Alex to drive her to Connecticut in the first place.

A series of loud moans, followed by panting versions of Alex's name, indicates to Piper exactly what it is the brunette is doing behind the door dividing them, and who it is exactly she is with.

The younger woman - who she knows was the blonde from the bar Alex had been talking to - is being loud - extremely so, and although it doesn't surprise her that the brunette has that sort of effect on her sexual partners, Piper can't help but feel angry. Angry at Alex for taking the first opportunity she can to sleep with someone when left to her own devices, and angry at herself for her undenying jealousy as to why she isn't the one underneath the brunette letting her do unspeakable things to her body.

No longer able to listen, Piper moves away from the door and out onto the balcony located on the other side of her room. She takes a seat on the large sofa that's positioned at the side of the area and looks out at the visible skyline of buildings and lights.

She's thankful she can no longer hear the events taking place in Alex's hotel room, and as she revels in the peace and quiet of the outdoors, Piper knows that she needs a timeout in order to reassess the tactics of her game plan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's a new chapter! I enjoyed writing this one, so hopefully it's just as good to read.**

**I'm trying to keep a slow burn nature to this story, so please let me know if there's anything you want to see in the build-up, as writing as such isn't really something I'm very familiar with... **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Piper spends the following day - as planned - seeing her parents, and by the time she arrived back at her hotel, she was still yet to see Alex. She'd heard the brunette's door open and close around 8am that morning - an indication that she was finally alone, yet chose not to let the older woman know of her whereabouts, figuring that's something that would be obvious enough considering why they drove to Connecticut in the first place.

It reaches 11pm when Piper first has to come face-to-face with Alex. While packing away her belongings into the travel bag she had brought with her, the blonde is thrown off focus when a light knocking is heard from the door separating her room from the brunette's.

Looking up from where she was folding a jumper, Piper watches the door slowly open and a tired looking Alex appear in the door, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. If it weren't for the fact she was pissed off with the woman before her, the blonde was sure she'd be loss in her current view, but she manages to stand her ground, appearing unaffected by Alex's presence.

"So you're alive," the brunette's voice echoes across the room - it's roughness indicating she's been battling a hangover.

"Shame I can't say the same to you," Piper responds sharply before turning back to her bag to continue with her folding. "You seemed to have a fun evening," she probes, wondering whether the brunette will spill any details as to what she had been doing the night before.

"No more fun than I can imagine you had with your parents," she replies - obviously unaware of the blonde's lie regarding where she was going the prior evening. "How did that go?"

"Just fine," Piper smiles before coming up with an idea. "Could you hear that awful noise last night?"

"No - I couldn't hear any noise," Alex shuffles on the spot, swapping the way her legs are crossed over at the ankle while pushing her glasses further up her nose. "All quiet on my end."

"That's funny because I could have sworn I heard quite the racket coming from your room," the blonde adds while looking back over at the brunette as she pauses the movements of her hands, "or maybe I was just imagining that I heard someone scream your name through moans over and over again," she concludes through a sarcastic tone of voice while giving a insincere close-lipped smile.

"Ms Chapm-"

"You can cut the formal shit out here, Alex, because from the plenty that I heard, you certainly weren't acting it last night," Piper shouts, throwing her last item into her bag and zipping it up before beginning to carry it over to the opposite side of the room. "Oh, and you can shut that door over; I don't think I need the heightened acoustics if you're looking to be repeating anything again tonight."

Without so much as looking over at the brunette - who is standing in a dumbfounded manner by the adjoining door, Piper continues ordering her belongings before she hears the wooden barrier close over. Finally turning back around to check that she's alone, the blonde runs her right hand through her loose hair while letting out a deep breath; _you've got this_, she reminds herself as she moves to settle into her hotel bed for the last time.

* * *

Throughout the next week, the blonde did everything in her power to rile up the brunette, and since their awkward exchange through the hotel door, details of their weekend - especially Alex's _eventful_ evening, had been avoided entirely, mostly out of the fact that Alex didn't exactly know how to approach the topic without running the risk of Piper biting her head off.

The juxtaposition of loving and hating elements of the blonde was something Alex found herself combatting more and more on a daily basis, but ever since they'd stepped into her BMW to drive back from Connecticut right up until where they're at now: the following Thursday, the brunette still wasn't sure where she stood with the blonde, both professionally and privately.

Piper had since been heavily focused on her work - something Alex found understandable, but the blonde was making her job easy - _too easy_. Without the frequent questions threatening her authority or the sarcastic jokes, Piper essentially went into a state of hibernation, instead using her work as a medium to escape whatever was going on around her; and although the blonde seemed to be acting differently - less entitled, perhaps, it didn't change the fact that she would still give _that look_ whenever she laid eyes on the brunette. She'd often give that curious head tilt while biting down on her lip at the strangest of times, from whenever their eyes would lock in the rear-view car mirror, to whenever she was in a meeting.

A particularly memorable incident Alex can't stop herself from thinking about took place a few days earlier in the blonde's home office. The brunette had entered the room to announce her departure, yet as she went to speak, the blonde chose to pick up her desk phone and make a call - something that seemed spontaneous. Throughout the entire minute or so she was conversing, the blonde kept her eyes set on Alex's - refusing to look away while giving that subtle lip bite whenever she was listening to the person on the other end talk; even though it's something she can't erase from her mind, if anyone were to ask the brunette what Piper was talking about on the phone, she wouldn't have a clue - just like the fact that she doesn't have a clue what the blonde is currently playing at.

However, from where she's now standing alone in Piper's apartment, making sure the place is clear for when Piper returns from her run, Alex is tempted to find something - anything - that would indicate why the blonde has suddenly changed her tune.

Despite originally feeling an element of guilt in going through the blonde's things, the brunette tells herself it's part of her job; Piper's safety is the most important thing in this instance, but when she reaches the blonde's bedroom and relays her excuse internally, it doesn't seem to support her personal motives.

The room - which she had now checked many times since she had started working with Piper - gives off a home-like feel, whereby the only real modern element of it is the TV placed up on the wall opposite the bed; otherwise, the room is adorned by two filled bookshelves, a bed, clothing space, and a mirror.

Walking over to the large wooden chest of drawers that inhabit the space opposite the blonde's double bed yet below the TV on the wall, Alex runs her hand along the surface, impressed with its cleanliness. She'd seen Piper enter these drawers several times if she were to grab her running clothes or maybe a new pair of socks, but those were in the bottom two drawers. With her imagination running wild - and her curiosity getting the better of her, Alex opens the top drawer, only to clench down on her jaw at what she sees.

As expected, she'd found the blonde's underwear drawer, and based on the dominant, cocky persona Piper gives off whenever they are together, everything she finds fulfils the list of ever-growing fantasies Alex has sculpted in her head featuring the blonde. Most of the items are laced - a mixture of thongs and bikini cut underwear, along with similarly matched laced and plain bras. She knows that her actions are borderline weird, but in this very moment, that's the last thing she's thinking about.

Moving her right hand that was still gripping the edge of the wood used to pull open the drawer, the brunette moves some of the garments from their resting position to see if Piper has any other gems secretly hidden. Her eyes widen when they land on the sight of a rather large - if she were to compare it to what she deems as an average size - purple vibrator, resting between two pairs of underwear. The brunette's eyes close over just at the thought of Piper using the device on herself, suddenly feeling rather overwhelmed by her thoughts.

"I'm not one to normally share my underwear, but by all means," comes a feminine voice from behind, causing Alex to freeze while cursing herself in getting too caught up in her thoughts to not even hear Piper get home.

"Ms Chapman-" Alex begins, finally turning around, but stops mid-sentence as she sees the blonde's state of dress.

Leaning against the doorway, the blonde is standing in nothing but a sports bra and pair of Nike running shorts, holding her running tank top over her shoulder. The angle in which she's leaning against the door highlights her toned abs in a way Alex hadn't seen before, and if the blonde had her suspicions about Alex's attraction towards herself, the very look she's giving was enough to give it all away.

"Don't worry about it," Piper begins, smiling at how this - unplanned - interaction is going. "As long as you don't take the black ones. Those are my favourite."

"I didn't mean to intrude," Alex tries to start to apologise, knowing how this must look.

"Alex - it's okay," the blonde replies, pushing herself off the door to walk further towards the brunette while throwing her tank top down onto the bed in the process. "Believe me, if it were the other way around, I would be doing the exact same thing," she adds, standing right in front of the taller woman, barely leaving any space between them.

Leaning her right arm around Alex's body while anchoring her left hand onto the brunette's upper chest, Piper reaches into the drawer, still keeping their eye contact.

"Are you wanting to come and watch me change too while we're at it?"

"I don't think that's appro-"

"Or maybe you can just go back to admiring my… _collections_," the blonde interrupts, pleased at how Alex is melting like putty in her hand as she slightly lowers her left hand to brush over the top of her breast, yet still careful to not make any full contact.

Pulling back from the brunette, Piper chews down on her bottom lip one last time before walking towards her en-suite, underwear in hand.

"Unless you're looking for a reference so you can buy some for that new girlfriend of yours… you know, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed one - maybe our underwear taste is just as similar as our looks," she concludes, shutting the bathroom door behind her.

Alex, meanwhile, doesn't quite know what to do with herself. Did she find everything that Piper just did insanely hot? Yes, but was it appropriate? No. Running a hand through her hair, the brunette shuts the drawer over and moves to leave the room, hoping the safety of downstairs will protect her from Piper's growing confidence, as ironic as the turning tables are.

Where she's now standing in the blonde's kitchen looking out the window at the skyline, the sound of a ringing phone pulls Alex out of her daydream. Next thing she knows, she hears a running Piper bolt down the stairs and into her office, where she then hears her answer the phone and politely greet whoever is calling on the other end.

The brunette takes this as her cue to leave - not wanting to let Piper make any more of a scene out of what had happened upstairs, so she carefully walks back towards the staircase to collect her blazer resting on the bannister.

"Leaving so soon?" she hears coming from down the hallway - an indication that Piper had finished her phone call.

Walking over the sound, Alex stands in the doorway of the blonde's office while giving the seated woman a close-lipped smile.

"I have a couple of errands to run, so I'll head off now you're back."

"Were you not going to say goodbye?" Piper asks, but before Alex can respond, the sound of her phone's ringing vibrations fills the room, despite it's ringer being off.

The brunette reaches into her trouser pocket and silences the device; she knows better than to answer her phone while working.

"Sorry about that," she excuses before clearing her throat. "I was waiting until you were done talking."

"How very chivalrous of you," Piper smiles, _there's that tilt again_, Alex thinks to herself while trying to remain composed.

As she goes to announce her departure, the brunette's phone begins to vibrate again, but this time, before she gets the chance to turn it off, Alex pauses as she watches the blonde before her rise from her office chair and walk over towards her.

In a confident manner, Piper places her hands on the brunette's shoulders before sliding her hands up to her neck. Moving her fingers slowly, she begins to fix the folded collar of Alex's blazer that was tucked in due to the rushed nature in which the garment had been thrown on just a few minutes prior.

"Don't you want to get that? It could be something - or even _someone_ \- important," Piper whispers with challenging flirtatious undertones, her blue eyes locked with Alex's as her fingers slowly continue their task at hand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the kind comments - I hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

**Let me know what you think/what you'd like to see next! **

* * *

"What're you doing?" Alex asks, ignoring the blonde's prior comment.

"Fixing your collar. It's very out of character for you I must admit, Al," Piper responds.

The brunette, meanwhile, takes a step back - not trusting herself, and especially not doing so after the nickname that she heard fall from the other woman's lips.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Ms Chapman," the brunette replies, having bit down on her tongue to prevent herself from addressing the blonde by her first name.

"Can't friends just help each other out every once in a while?" Piper asks in a condescending tone, stepping forward to keep her hands where they're now resting on the taller woman's shoulders.

"You're not my friend," Alex announces loudly before reaching up to grab the blonde's wrists. "I work for you and I don't know what stunt you're trying to pull, but you need to stop it."

"But you don't want me to stop. Do you, Alex?"

"You have a boyfriend and I don't think he'd appreciate what you're doing right now," the brunette tries to argue, pulling the blonde's hands down so that they are finally no longer touching her body.

"Since when do you care that I have a boyfriend?"

"Ms Chapman-" Alex begins through a chuckle, "I quite frankly couldn't care less about your boyfriend. I've never met the man and I've never even spoken to him. All I care about is your safety which happens to be my job, so maybe you should start respecting that a little harder," the brunette shouts through a louder voice.

"Then why did I catch you snooping in my underwear draw, Alex? Was that just a conscience? Because I'm sure my _boyfriend_ would love to hear about that," Piper shouts back with equal volume as she follows Alex's retreating figure over to the front door.

The sound of Alex's ringing phone again interrupts their conversation - or, this time, argument.

"Wow, someone is _very_ popular today," Piper says sarcastically, before adding through a fake smile. "Maybe you should answer girlfriend's calls; you wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

"You're right - I'll do just that," Alex responds, taking out her phone and answering before opening the apartment door and leaving, ensuring to slam the wooden barrier behind her.

Piper - now alone in her apartment - runs a hand through her wet hair before using the hairband on her wrist to tie it up into a slicked back bun. She knew she was somewhat crossing the line with her not-so-subtle flirting, but a part of her enjoyed watching Alex squirm and fight through her less than professional feelings.

She also knows that she has to do something about Larry - a topic that she often finds herself forgetting about; Piper reminds herself to give her boyfriend a call later in the evening to make herself feel as though something in her life isn't a major fuck up.

* * *

Sitting up in bed with a glass of white wine in her hand, Piper takes out her phone and - for the first time this week - calls her boyfriend. After 5 rings, the phone is answered; the background is filled with noise, immediately indicating that the man on the other end is not in the confines of the apartment he is currently staying in.

"Hey, Pipes," the male voice greets, not sounding fully present.

"Larry, hi," the blonde responds, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just calling to see how things are with you."

"Everything's going well. Listen, Pipes, now isn't really a good time," the man begins, sounding as though he's distracted by whatever is going on around him.

"Do you know when you'll be coming back home?"

"Not yet, no, but I'll let you know when I hear anything, okay?" he asks, trying to sound reassuring. "I'll call you back tomorrow. Love you."

"Yeah, you too," the blonde half-heartedly responds before ending the call, suddenly wishing she hadn't made any form of contact with her increasingly poor excuse of a boyfriend.

Scrolling back through her phone, the blonde's finger hovers over the small thread of text messages she has with Alex; they're all very routine - some of which regarding opening the front door and morning pick up times. She contemplates calling the brunette - finding herself craving her company, but Piper relents, knowing better than to contact the woman considering how things ended between them earlier that afternoon.

* * *

For Piper, the rest of her week leaves her feeling tense and stressed. She'd been snowed under with work as her speech on the criminal justice system was due to soon be taking place, and with Alex's absence since their prior argument, her mood hadn't been too uplifting.

The brunette had been temporarily replaced by an elder man whom the blonde would guess is approaching his retirement age. He doesn't really speak - something that is both a blessing and a nuisance; the only real thing the blonde has managed to gather about the grey-haired man is that he's married, and that came from observing the ring adorning his finger.

She isn't too sure why Alex has been momentarily replaced, and while her thoughts should be focused on learning her speech, she can't help but think about the brunette; an element of worry - and perhaps even guilt - as to why she hadn't seen or heard anything about the taller woman since she had last left her apartment proves to have been playing a facilitating role in infiltrating her thoughts.

Her journey to and from meetings with script writers proved uneventful, and even upon her returning home, Piper found herself missing the dark-haired woman's company - albeit the fact it could - at times - prove difficult to deal with. So when the day of her big speech finally arrived, the blonde's nerves surrounding the lack of a familiar face - as well as the speaking itself - began to arise.

Stepping out of the blacked out Range Rover she had been picked up in, Piper's eyes widen at the sight of the crowd of people standing outside the government building in which she will be attending - and speaking at - a conference. She's popular amongst the crowd of people - it's common public knowledge that the blonde is very forward-thinking when it comes to discussing inequalities and the improvements that need to be instilled in order to achieve social injustice, which, for Piper, makes her public appearances quite the popular phenomenon.

Upon entering the building, the blonde is greeted by several familiar faces and others not so familiar, each with varying ways in which they deem welcoming. Complying with what she's expected to do, the blonde poses for pictures and exchanges handshakes with new people she is introduced to, before she takes her seat on the front row of the busy conference room holding 300 or so people.

She notes there are security present, but mostly ones who work for the building and aid the running of the event. _Now isn't the time to be thinking about her_, Piper reminds herself as - yet again - she allows her brain to think about Alex and her whereabouts; it isn't long that she is called up by the conference's host to deliver her speech.

Stepping up onto the platform, the blonde pauses for a moment with a toothy smile as she waits for the room's applause to come to an end. Wearing a navy dress that is flattered by a blazer and heels, Piper feels confident; and throughout the next 15 minutes, there isn't a doubt in the room that the blonde doesn't know what she's talking about.

Upon finishing her perfectly timed speech, the blonde stands at the podium with her hands resting on their either side of the wood, as she delivers a close-lipped smile upon hearing the host who introduced her onto the stage ask the audience members if they had any questions.

As usual, the blonde receives some questions she was expecting and had therefore prepared well for, but - of course - things don't always quite work out the way they had planned to.

One man in particular comes across suspiciously when he stands from where he was seated and announces he has a question. Piper watches two members of the event's security shuffle from where they were standing at the back - almost as though on guard to take action if needed, but it isn't until another voice begins chanting loudly that the blonde begins to internally panic.

Another man - who is seated at the other side of the room yet far closer to the front compared to his counterpart, stands up and takes off his jacket, revealing a t-shirt regarding support for the opposing side of a recent case Piper had led. As she watches the first man standing at the back being dealt with by security members, it suddenly dawns upon the blonde that his companion - who happens to be _a lot_ closer - is beginning to head her way, and it seems as though he's holding something in his hand. Before Piper gets a closer look, two small objects are thrown her way in quick succession, splatting onto the shoulder of her blazer; in an instinct reaction, she reaches a hand up to brush off the substance, only to come to the conclusion that she had been hit by some eggs.

Before the man gets a chance to move any closer, however, Piper observes the way in which his body flies across the floor, as a member of the room's security moves to take him down in a rugby tackle-like manoeuvre. Her eyebrows widen as she catches a glimpse of that long, dark hair she had found herself imagining in flashes throughout the past week, and in seeing more security members join to assist the person lying on the floor with the protester pinned below them, Piper finally gets the confirmation that she needs.

With the man being pulled up and taken away, the blonde watches Alex's rising form flatten out her blazer before straightening her glasses.

In awe just from watching the dark-haired woman move, Piper's mouth is agape, and when Alex approaches, saying nothing as she grips her arm to guide her off the side of the stage and into a storage room around the back, Piper finally allows herself to breathe.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks as she closes over the door and places her arms on the blonde's biceps, scanning her eyes along the blonde's torso and face to assess any damage.

"Yeah, fine. I was only eggs," Piper manages to breathe out, somewhat hitting herself for her shaken tone of voice.

"They're being dealt with, Ms Chapman. You don't have to worry; when I get the call, we'll get you out of here."

"Thank you, Alex," the blonde sincerely comments, grateful that the brunette had been in attendance to deal with the situation as professionally as she did.

Piper watches Alex place her hand over the clear earpiece attached to her ear and communicate with the rest of her colleagues; in hearing several coded messages regarding 'eagle' and 'clear', the brunette then announces that they are clear to leave the building.

The rest of the journey to the blonde's apartment remains silent; Piper knows better than to test the brunette when her eyes are glued out the windows looking for any form of suspicious activity. This continues up until the pair arrive back at the blonde's front door. By contrast to their usual routine, Piper doesn't test the taller woman and instead lets her do her job, and when they arrive inside her front door, she ensures to follow Alex's lead.

The brunette moves about the bottom floor and up to the top before returning back to the lower floor again. Piper wonders what the dark-haired woman is doing, but as she disappears into the kitchen, the blonde takes off her shoes and moves into the living area, unaware of the hazard she had just caused, as while she was carelessly moving to take a seat, Alex - in doing a double-check of the lower floor as she's required to do in these kind of scenarios - is now on an even higher alert than before.

Before she gets a chance to turn around at the sound of someone approaching, the next thing Piper knows is that she's being spun around mid-air and is landing on her back onto the hard ground.

"What the fuck?!" the blonde shouts before the air in of her lungs is expelled at the feeling of a weight settling on top of her.

"Ms Chapman?!" Alex returns in an equally stressed tone, looking momentarily worried. "Why did you move from the front?!"

"Because I thought you were fucking done! How was I supposed to know you were checking again?" Piper shouts back in an attempt to defend herself, and as the pair look into one another's eyes - scanning each other's emotions, they begin to share a chuckle.

"You don't make this very easy, do you?" Alex asks through a chuckle as she rests her head down onto the floorboards behind Piper's head in a relieved fashion, despite the fact that she's now resting in the nook of the blonde's neck.

"Maybe just ask who it is next time instead of rugby tackling me in my own home," the blonde replies, laughing too as Alex lifts her head to regain the eye contact.

If it weren't for her sudden appreciation for how Alex had gone about her work throughout the entire ordeal, Piper would have grabbed at the opportunity to make a meal out of the compromising position they currently find themselves in. Out of respect for the taller woman, she removes her hands from her sides, and despite the thrill that the contact of their touching pelvises brings to her core, the blonde doesn't move her body - afraid of what the woman on top of her will say.

Alex - sensing a change in atmosphere - shuffles her arms that were resting down on the blonde so that the palm of her hands are flat against the wooden floor. Pushing herself up, the brunette goes on to extend her arms for the blonde, pulling her up in a likewise fashion.

"I know we hit a bit of a patch, but can you stay for a bit longer?" the blonde asks, wanting to address some of her actions. "I-"

"It's okay," Alex responds, sensing the other woman isn't quite yet ready to be on her own given the strange events she'd just publicly encountered. "I get it. I'll stay as long as you need."

"Do you want a drink?" Piper asks, letting out a heavy breath as she straightens out the ends of her wrinkled dress.

"I'll have whatever you're having, thanks," Alex responds as she begins to take off her blazer - double checking all of her work devices are in the pocket, before walking to the hallway to place it by the door on the coat hanger that she hadn't yet used.

2 hours later, both women are sitting opposite one another - Piper on the sofa; Alex on a armchair that she dragged over, having finished the pizzas they had ordered after they finished their first bottle of wine.

"I know you must think I'm an ass," the blonde begins, leaning back into her leather seat. "I've been a bitch."

"Well, I wouldn't say I think you're an ass, but I wouldn't disagree with the being a bitch part," the brunette chuckles. "I get it. You don't like being told what to do, but you sure as hell have a way of making that clear."

"I'm sorry," Piper comments, looking into Alex's green eyes. "I know I've made your job difficult, so-"

"Ms Chapman," Alex tries to interrupt but fails.

"I want to make it up to you," she concludes, relaxing her shoulders as she sits up more formally.

"I appreciate that, but this evening has been more than enough. I'm used to clients not really acknowledging me at all, but this..." she says, placing both hands outwards with her palms up as though shrugging, "this is an exception."

"Just let me know when you change your mind. I mean it, Alex, I'm glad you were there today."

"I would normally say that I was just doing my job, but I'll admit that I'm glad I was there today too," the brunette smiles sincerely. "You aced that speech by the way."

"You think?"

"It was _egg_cellent," Alex jokes, trying to hold in her laughter.

"Oh wow - you _do_ have a sense of humour," Piper chuckles back while rolling her eyes.

"I'm known for surprising people," Alex begins as she stands from her chair while reaching down to pick up her plate. "Anyway-"

"Don't worry - I'll get that," Piper interrupts, and is surprisingly pleased to see the taller woman comply.

"I should get going. If that's okay with you?"

"Um-"

"Ms Chapman, I don't think any more egg smashers are going to come after you," Alex smiles when the blonde moves to follow where she's now walked to the front of the coffee table.

Without voicing a word, Piper wraps her arms around the taller woman and buries her head into her neck, letting out a sigh while doing so.

The act had caught Alex off guard; she wasn't expecting the contact, but in feeling somewhat sorry for the younger woman - and even going as far as admitting the contact is welcomed, the brunette wraps her own arms around the smaller woman's frame, closing her eyes over at the feeling.

Neither voices what they're thinking, and when Piper moves to rest her forehead against Alex's, both women's worlds pause.

"Stay," the blonde whispers quietly against the brunette's mouth.

"Ms C-"

"Please," Piper adds, moving her head back so that their eyes meet. "Stay with me."

Delivering a close-lipped smile followed by a small nod, Alex watches the blonde's eyes darken as they fall from her own down to her lips and back up again as though seeking confirmation.

It's in this moment both women know they've gone past the threshold of a completely professional relationship, and although neither are quite ready to voice it out loud, it seems as though it's unavoidable.

In a slow manner, Piper begins to lean forward - not caring that the brunette hasn't moved from her original position, and closes over her eyes as she anticipates the long-awaited contact she's been craving.

What would have been the perfect end to a development in their… _relationship_, is deterred, however, by the sound of jangling keys turning in the lock of the front door.

Dropping her head forward so that it's now resting against Alex's forehead, Piper lets out a sigh at the interruption.

"Pipes?" a male voice rings out from the opening front door. "I'm hoping this is good enough of a surprise for you!"

Pulling her head back to assess the look on Alex's face - seeing her regular stoic facial expression with darkened green eyes, Piper closes her own blue orbs back over as though to hide her sudden bout of dread. She feels the brunette remove her arms from around her body and pull back so that there's at least a respectable gap between them.

"_I'm sorry_," the blonde mouths silently towards the dark-haired woman, knowing how fucked up this is about to get.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay - I've been busy travelling over the last few days. **

**The italicised section is a flashback to Alex's phone call in the last chapter if that isn't clear enough, and I know parts of this is bound to strike up some forms of opinions, so let me know what you think - not that I can't already imagine what some of your responses are going to be... **

* * *

"Pipes, are you in here?" the male voice echoes down the corridor, and when the sound of footsteps approaches, the blonde knows she'll have to face the man sooner rather than later.

"There you are," he says excitedly, stepping into the room. "Oh, who's this?" he goes on to ask, having seen Alex standing opposite his girlfriend for the first time.

"This is Alex - she's the head of my security," Piper responds, looking over at her boyfriend. "Alex this is Larry," she adds, looking over at the brunette who doesn't return the eye contact, instead just looks over at the smaller man.

"Nice to meet you Mr-" she probes, waiting for the dark-haired man to reveal his surname.

"Oh, just Larry is fine," the man responds, yet in seeing the serious look on Alex's face, he adjusts his statement nervously. "Larry Bloom."

"If you don't mind, Mr Bloom, I'll have to search that you haven't brought anything in here with you."

"I don't think that's really necessary. I'm Piper's boyfriend."

"And I'm just doing my job," Alex snaps back smartly through a close-lipped smile, stepping towards the man to swiftly search that he hadn't brought in anything he shouldn't have. "You're all good," she adds, looking into the smaller man's eyes.

Larry doesn't offer a response, however, and instead walks over to Piper, placing his hands on her cheeks and pulling her into a kiss.

Meanwhile, as she observes from where she's standing, Alex watches the blonde keep her opened eyes trained on her own throughout the entire exchange, almost as though pleading for forgiveness.

"I've missed you," the dark-haired man says as he pulls back, causing Piper to dart her eyes away from Alex and back over to the man in front of her.

"How long are you back for?"

"Just a few nights. I had some free time and I had to come back and sort out some things with my apartment over here."

"Why? What's happening to your apartment?" Piper asks, genuinely confused.

Pausing while letting out a huff, Larry goes to speak before he turns his head to look over towards Alex.

"Can you give us a second here?"

Piper closes her eyes over - being that she's out of Larry's vision - and just hopes the brunette doesn't lose her cool. She knew her boyfriend could be an ass, but she didn't realise _how much_ of an ass he really is.

"Sure," Alex responds, turning around. "One," she says out loud before turning back. "There you go; your second's up."

Alex's whitt elicits a smile across Piper's face - one of which she attempts to suppress by biting down on her lower lip, but Larry, meanwhile, didn't appreciate the gesture.

"Listen-"

"If you'd excuse me, Mr Bloom, I'm here for Ms Chapman's safety, so if you think I'm going to listen to you, you've got the completely wrong idea. I suggest you work on how you talk to other people before you start demanding things," she concludes, irritated by the way Piper's boyfriend is acting like he owns the place.

"I'll just go put my things upstairs then, if that's okay with you?" Larry asks, looking over at Alex who doesn't offer a response, before leaving to put his bags away.

"Looks like things are covered from here," Alex says to the blonde while walking into the kitchen where they can't be overheard, both knowing the underlying meaning behind her comment.

"Al-" Piper attempts to buffer, following the taller woman and shutting the door behind her.

"I think you've got bigger things to be worrying about right now than thinking about me, Ms Chapman," the brunette interrupts, maintaining a professional stance.

"That's the problem," the blonde steps closer, placing her right hand on the taller woman's left wrist. "I can't stop thinking about you," she adds honestly, looking into Alex's green eyes for some form of answer.

"I don't think that's appropriate," the brunette says, pulling her arm back.

"That's all you have to say? We nearly kiss, I tell you that you're always on my mind and that's all you've got?"

"Considering your boyfriend is upstairs - and bound to appear any second, yes, that is all I've got to say, Ms Chapman."

"Stop fucking calling me that," Piper shouts - the veins in her neck visible. "Can't you for one second stop acting oblivious to what's happening before you?!"

Stepping closer to the smaller woman, the brunette chuckles before leaning forward to whisper.

"Have a good evening, _Ms Chapman_," she adds, pulling back to move past the blonde and open the kitchen door.

"No, you can't just leave," Piper counters, stepping in the way. "You said you'd stay."

"I'm clearly not needed," the brunette counters. "Plus, I don't think I particularly want to hear the soundtrack of your and your boyfriend fucking throughout the night."

"Oh, so you're just going to run away from your problems like you did last week?"

Tilting her head back as she laughs loudly, Alex looks deeply into the blonde's eyes.

"It's funny because the last time I remembered, this is your problem, not mine," she says, successfully managing to move her arm past the shocked blonde and twist the door handle. "You have no fucking idea, Ms Chapman," she finishes before walking out the door, which is soon followed by the sound of the apartment's front door closing over.

Standing alone in the kitchen, Piper is stunned by what the brunette had said; yes the situation wasn't ideal, but to act so nonchalant about what was going on between them and act as though she didn't care was something Piper hadn't expected. All the blonde wants to do is curl up in her bed and let her emotions out into her pillow, but in hearing loud footsteps make their way back down the stairs, Piper closes her eyes over tightly to prevent an onset of tears as she prepares to face her boyfriend.

* * *

Having arrived at her destination, Alex remains seated in her car as she lets out a heavy breath. She knows she shouldn't have gone that far with Piper; nearly kissing someone she's supposed to be working with is bad enough never mind the fact that that said person is in a relationship with a man. Her fingers tighten around the steering wheel as she thinks back to how Piper was looking over at her while her boyfriend kissed her for the first time in however long they hadn't seen each other in person, and although it initially made her angry, when she thinks about it now, the brunette feels her stomach drop.

In telling herself she can't be jealous - she'd known from the very day they'd met that the blonde was in a relationship, Alex shakes her head and moves to get out the car, walking up the path to the front door of her location.

Standing on the doorstep while fishing out the keys from her blazer pocket, Alex opens the wooden barrier and steps inside the house, closing the door after her.

Being that it's late, the brunette doesn't announce her arrival, instead she walks slowly as she looks into all of the rooms to look for any signs of someone being awake.

Finally reaching upstairs, she notes a light coming from the master bedroom and heads over to its opened door.

"I was beginning to wonder how long you were going to be sitting in your car out there," the older woman lying on the bed says, looking up from her book.

"Hey Mom," Alex smiles, stepping into the room and taking a seat at the bottom of the bed. "How've you been?" she asks, scanning her eyes over the woman's body.

"Moving around's been easier, but I've just been resting today," the brunette's mother responds, looking down at her leg which is fully covered by a white cast.

"You haven't been pushing yourself too hard, have you?" Alex asks, growing protective of her mother's well-being.

"Enough about me, Al," the older woman says, adjusting her body so she's sitting up better. "What's up with you? You seem stressed."

"Oh, you know, work's been a bit of a nightmare today. Nothing I can't handle though."

"She's really doing a number on you, huh," is all the older woman states tilting her head as she watches her daughter lower her head and look down at her hands.

"Is it okay if I stay here tonight?" Alex asks, not answering her mother's previous comment.

"Of course. Your room's just how you last left it."

"Thanks, Mom," Alex says, getting up to kiss her mother on the forehead. "Let me know if you need anything in the night."

"You know I will. Night, Al," the older woman smiles as she watches her daughter leave the room and close the door over behind her.

Alex makes her way down the hallway and into her old bedroom where, in a similar fashion to her mother, she lies on the bed and rests against the headboard.

Letting out a deep breath, she thinks back to the events of her past week, wondering if she's ever going to get a break anytime soon.

* * *

_Although she previously ignored her phone throughout her exchange with Piper, as she leaves the blonde's apartment, Alex answers the device, despite not recognising the caller ID._

_"Hello," she greets._

_"Is this Alexandra Vause speaking?" an unfamiliar voice asks down the phone line._

_"It is. Who's this?" Alex asks as she descends through the blonde's apartment building._

_"I'm Kathy. I work at New York Hospital. Ms Vause, we need you to come in as soon as possible; your mother's been in an accident and you're down as her emergency contact."_

_In a sudden bout of panic, the brunette begins to run out of the building and towards her car, hoping she can get to the hospital as quickly as she can._

_It turns out that Alex's mother, Diane, had taken quite the fall in the local restaurant she owns, whereby she fell down a flight of stairs and broke one of her legs in two places. Although her brain had been on the brink of explosion at the thought of something happening to her mother, Alex was relieved that her mother's injuries weren't as bad compared to the extent in which they could have been._

_The brunette waits in the hospital waiting room for near 8 hours before she's informed of the successful outcome regarding her mother's surgery, and in being told about a cast being applied along with crutches being a necessity to walk, the brunette excuses herself to make a call outside the hospital's main entrance._

_In a brief conversation with her boss, Alex informs them of her mother's health and that she will need to take some time off work to look after her. As a respected member of her work force, the brunette's given a week off, and is told that someone suiting will temporarily take over her roll for the allotted time._

_Throughout the next week, she practically lived at her mother's house, whereby she waited on her hand and foot to ensure she didn't cause herself any more harm than she had already managed to do. _

_She debated on whether she should inform Piper of her absence considering the increasing tension that arose since they had last seen each other, but in wanting to give herself a mental - and physical - break from the blonde, Alex chose not to make any form of contact, instead deciding to focus on what was right in front of her for the time being. _

* * *

From where she's lying on her side in bed listening to Larry groaning about the people sitting behind him on his flight, Piper faces an internal battle as she attempts to fully focus on what the man is saying. She knows it's wrong, but her mind is set on the way in which things ended with Alex a few hours prior; whether Alex regretted everything that had transpired between them or not. For a fact Piper knows she doesn't regret being honest with the dark-haired woman, but in knowing how shitty the situation must look, she does regret the fact that she even has a boyfriend that could walk in on them to begin with.

Feeling Larry pull back the covers and settle into the bed next to her, the next problem springs to mind: sex. She knows that it's been on Larry's mind since they finished catching up and decided to head to bed, and when she feels his arm wrap around her waist and settle just below her abdomen, she knows it'll look suspicious if she were to avoid it - especially considering how long it had been since they'd last seen each other in person.

She tries as hard as she can to envision that the arm wrapped around her waist and that the breath on the back of her neck doesn't belong to the man behind her, and although being in a relationship with Larry is the last thing she particularly wants, Piper would be lying to herself if she didn't admit how sexually frustrated she'd been throughout the last few weeks.

Deciding that if this is going to happen, it'll be on her terms, the blonde turns around and straddles the man so that he's now below her. Without so much as voicing what she has planned, Piper leans down to connect their lips - trying hard not to flinch at the stubble scratching her face - and moves her hand down to find what she's looking for.

Momentarily surprised that she finds no articles of clothing, the blonde shuffles to lower herself so that she can fill her craving need, only to tilt her head back when she finally gets some sort of relief, despite it not entirely being what she had hoped for.

Throughout the exchange, as her eyes remain closed, she tries her very best to imagine the hands gripping her hips and the heavy breathing belongs to a certain brunette, but it reaches a point where suddenly this doesn't feel enough; it feels wrong doing this with someone when she knows she doesn't want it in the way that she should.

Pausing her movements, Piper apologises despite her boyfriend's protests and walks into her en-suite. She leans against the closed door and tilts her head back, wondering how on earth she's going to explain how she's feeling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews - I'm trying to incorporate some of your ideas throughout, so please keep them coming. **

**Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Piper is woken by the feel of an arm squeezing around her stomach in a rough manner - irritating her immediately. Turning her head to the side, she sees Larry is still fast asleep, yet in a thankful manner, she notices that the man is now wearing clothes - something she herself had kept on throughout the entire night.

In her attempt to get out of her boyfriend's hold, Piper feels him groan - an indication that her attempt to escape quietly was unsuccessful.

"Hmm, where're you going," Larry mumbles as he pulls Piper's body back into his front.

"Breakfast isn't going to make on its own," the blonde responds, managing to roll over onto her back.

Looking over at his girlfriend, Larry rests his palm against his temple and bends his elbow to hold up the weight of his head.

"Is everything okay?" he asks, obviously referring to what had happened between them the night before.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" the blonde lies, fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt as though to distract herself from the man's questioning gaze.

"After last night I assumed something was wrong."

"I wasn't feeling well. That's all," Piper says, hoping the man will believe her.

"And how're you feeling now?" Larry asks with a raised eyebrow as he attempts to place his hand under the blonde's t-shirt to rest on her abdomen.

"Really Larry?" Piper scoffs in an annoyed manner, moving to get out of the bed. "I'm going to make breakfast," she deadpans, leaving the room.

The truth is that she couldn't stand another minute lying in bed with a man she can barely look at without thinking about what she's going to do with Alex. She feels guilty that the brunette had to witness herself and her boyfriend's reunion, but, at the same time, she isn't entirely sure how she should act around the other woman - they - in what seems like a frequent occurrence - didn't exactly end their conversation on good terms the previous afternoon.

Hearing Larry coming down the stairs, Piper moves to continue making the breakfast, all the while hoping that he doesn't add to her irritated mood.

Conversation is somewhat limited as the man checks his phone and takes a call from a colleague, which gives Piper some mental preparation for what she knows she has to tell the man. When he's finally off the phone and Piper sits opposite him having placed their food on the table, she goes to start what she knows is going to be an argumentative conversation, but is halted when Larry beats her to it.

"That was about my apartment," he says, breaking the silence.

"Oh yeah," Piper responds before taking a sip of her coffee. "You never did tell me more about that yesterday," she adds, remembering her boyfriend refusing to expand on the matter when Alex was in the room the day before.

"I'm trying to rent it out," Larry explains.

"And?"

"And someone that my boss at work knows is interested."

"So where are you going to live when you come back to the states?" Piper asks, sensing where this is going.

"Well I was hoping I could move in with you…" he responds quietly.

"What?" Piper asks loudly as her eyes widen while she tries her hardest not to spill her coffee. "And when were you planning on telling me that?"

"I just thought that-"

"No Larry - you've barely asked me anything about my life since you've been back, just waltzed into my apartment, didn't show Alex any respect, and then intend on moving yourself in without telling me!" the blonde shouts, losing her cool at the nerve the man in front of her has.

"At least I'm trying," he argues back loudly. "You didn't even introduce me as your boyfriend yesterday and what the fuck was that all about last night? I'm starting to sense something else is going on here?"

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have been such an ass," is all the blonde responds, ignoring Larry's last two comments.

Standing up to move away from the man opposite her, Piper feels a hand grip her wrist.

"Come on - let's not argue," the man states, standing up to move closer to his girlfriend. "I reserved a table for us at that restaurant you always go on about," he adds, trying to lighten the mood.

"Let's talk about this later," Piper responds, tugging her hand away before moving to start washing up her empty plate in the sink.

* * *

"What're you going to get?" Piper hears her boyfriend ask from where he's seated opposite her at the restaurant table, both trying hard to not bring up their prior argument so that they can at least _try_ and enjoy their meal.

"I'm not too sure yet," the blonde responds as she tilts her head that is buried in the menu she's holding in her hands.

As she's about to voice the options she's indecisive about, the voice of a waitress appears, asking what the pair will be having. The messy-haired woman gives Piper a particularly inquisitive look - almost as though she's judging her for something or other, but after announcing what it is they're wanting to eat, the woman - who eventually introduced herself as Nicky - leaves without adding any further comment.

"Do you know her?" Larry asks given the look on Piper's face.

"Never seen her before," she responds.

"Probably just another person that recognised you from the TV."

"Maybe," the blonde deadpans, trying to wrack her brain over why on earth that woman was looking at her the way she was.

* * *

"I see what you mean, Vause. You've bagged a good one there," Nicky shouts as she walks into the back office.

"What?" Alex asks as she looks up from her phone. " I haven't _bagged_ anyone."

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, legs long as fuck. Ring a bell?" Nicky asks, knowing from the brunette's face that something had clicked.

"Piper's here?" she asks, putting her phone into her pocket and standing up from the desk chair she was sitting on. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing you wouldn't have."

"Nick-"

"I'm just fucking with you. I took their order and then left."

Alex lets out a loud huff and runs a hand through her hair.

"_Their_ order?" she says in question, wanting confirmation of something she had already mentally assumed.

"She's with some guy. I don't know, it seemed a bit awkward between them, but after what you've told me she's like, I don't blame the guy for acting like a pussy around her."

_If only you knew_, Alex thinks to herself, patting herself on the back that she hadn't informed her best friend of their recent near kiss development - only how much of an ass she's been to work with.

"You're still gonna have to go out there, Vause. I won't have Diane murdering me because of your tall ass," she laughs, picking up an empty tray from the side as she moves to leave the room.

"I know, I know."

"Good because you're out there in 10," Nicky concludes as she leaves the room.

Closing over her eyes, Alex tilts back her head as she curses herself for offering to help out at her mother's restaurant this evening. Being that Diane was still in the confines of her home with a lack of mobility, the brunette offered to work on the bar throughout the evening - mostly because of the fact that Friday evenings are always particularly busy, and in knowing that her chances of being seen by Piper are extremely high, Alex mentally preps herself for how she should act around the other woman, especially if she's in the company of her boyfriend.

* * *

While waiting for their food to come, Larry heads over to the bar to grab them some drinks, and when he arrives back, the revelation that comes out of his mouth is something Piper would have never expected in a million years.

"No fucking way," he sits down, laughing as he places their drinks down onto the table.

"What?"

"Your security woman from yesterday served me. What's her name? Alex?"

Looking over Larry's shoulder so that she can get a view of the bar, Piper freezes as she watches Alex moving behind the bar wiping down the countertop's surface.

She'd never seen the brunette in such an informal situation; she's wearing a Prince t-shirt with a black pair of jeans while her hair is loosely hanging over her shoulders. Even from a distance, Piper notes how stunning Alex looks in her attire, and in knowing that the brunette is within the same building as her, the blonde begins to feel a fluttering in her stomach.

"Piper?" the blonde hears her boyfriend from opposite her, causing her eyes to snap back to his.

"Hmm."

"I was asking if you knew why she's here?"

"I have no idea," she honestly replies, noting to find out herself when the next available opportunity arises.

Their food soon arrives and surprisingly both parties manage to keep a civil conversation without the chances of another argument ensuing. No matter how many times she had to tell herself not to look, Piper couldn't keep her eyes off Alex. She found it captivating to watch the tall woman move about the bar, smiling and laughing as she spoke to customers - some of which the blonde assumes she's already familiar with. Although her boyfriend seems to be none the wiser as to where her vision is fixed most of the time, Piper knows she can't continue this much longer, not when she knows how badly it could all come down to reflect on her.

"Where're you going?" Larry asks as he watches Piper push back her chair to stand up.

"Bathroom. I'll be back in a minute," the blonde responds, indeed planning on going to the restroom, but also intending on making a bit of a detour at some point in her journey.

After heading to the bathroom - ensuring to go the long way to not be seen by Alex - and seeing that it's empty, Piper stands in front of the mirror and looks at her reflection. She adjusts the wisps of hair that are out of place and applies some lip gloss; when she finally likes what she sees, she heads back out, this time with the intent of making a trip to get herself a drink.

Seeing that Alex is currently unoccupied with her back to the bar front, Piper moves and takes a seat on the front bar stool.

"Fancy seeing you here," the blonde begins, giving off a smug grin as she sees Alex turn around, wiping a glass in her hands using a tea towel.

"Hey," Alex greets as her hands pause. "What're you doing here?"

"Larry booked us a table," the blonde replies, looking into the brunette's green eyes.

"I thought I recognised him earlier - not that I particularly wanted to talk to him," Alex admits, leaning her palms against the bar. "Do you want anything?"

Turning around to see Larry talking on the phone, Piper turns back, satisfied that her boyfriend seems preoccupied.

"I'll have a margarita," the blonde says, mirroring the small smile Alex gives. "What're you doing here anyway?" she goes on to ask.

"I'm just helping out for the evening. It'll get busy here in the next hour or so, so I figured I'd lend a hand for a bit. Surprised?"

"Oh, I was just wondering because, you know, well, you don't exactly come across as a bartender. Not from what I've seen anyway."

"Like I've said before: I'm known for surprising people," Alex chuckles, placing the blonde's drink before her.

Piper, meanwhile, tries her hardest to compose herself at the brunette's deliberate choice of wording. She's said the same thing the night before they'd nearly kissed, and although neither woman have yet to address it, Piper begins to find her resolve slowly slipping.

"Shouldn't you be getting back?" Alex asks, nodding her head in the direction of the blonde's table. "Wouldn't want to keep your boyfriend waiting."

"Alex-"

"Hi - how can I help?" the brunette says, turning her head to the side to greet a woman who had appeared next to Piper at the bar, leaning on the table.

"I'll have a beer please," the woman says, placing down noted money, "and one of whatever you're having," she adds in a flirtatious tone as she looks into Alex's green eyes.

Piper watches as the brunette chuckles at the red-haired woman making her order, and moves to start making the drinks. She tries to remain calm throughout the exchange, but when the woman takes a seat a few stools down from where she's currently sat, Piper begins to lose her cool at the fact that Alex clearly has a new admirer and there's absolutely nothing she can do about it.

She clenches down on her jaw as she watches Alex return with two drinks, leaning onto the edge of the bar to hear whatever it is the red-haired woman is trying to say. Before she gets the chance to even act on anything, Piper feels a set of arms wrap around her front along with a mouth kissing the side of her exposed neck.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long," Larry whispers into the blonde's ear, yet the blonde's initial thoughts revolve around the fact that Alex's eyes are suddenly on them, watching the exchange.

"I saw you were on the phone so thought I'd order us some more drinks," Piper responds, turning her head sideways.

"Have you already ordered?" Larry asks, moving from behind the blonde to sit on the unoccupied chair to her right.

"Your drink should be on the way," Piper lies, hoping that Alex can hear what she's saying and move in to save her ass.

"About that," Larry begins, letting out a sigh. "I have to go."

"What? Now?" We haven't even finished our meal!" the blonde exclaims, trying to ignore her want to stay longer so that she can remain within the confines of Alex's company.

"I just had a call from the woman about my apartment. I need to leave."

"Who the fuck meets at an apartment this late, Larry? Why's it so urgent."

"Pipes," he begins, rolling his eyes.

"You know what. Just go," she shouts, annoyed with her boyfriend.

"Come on, I don't have a choice."

"Leave, Larry," Piper deadpans, watching the man walk off and approach a waiter on the way, seemingly paying their bill.

Lowering her head, Piper shuts her eyes as she tries to block out the crumbling events going on around her.

She hears the laughter of the woman still talking to the brunette behind the bar, and when she finally gives in and looks back over, Piper observes the woman passing Alex a napkin before winking and walking away. No matter how hard she tries, Piper can't hold back her jealousy. She knows the entire situation she's gotten herself involved in is entirely fucked up, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get to have feelings.

"You okay?" Alex asks as she walks back in front of Piper.

"It doesn't matter," the blonde breathes out. "Don't you have more important things to be doing than talking to me?"

"While she was nice and all, she wasn't the person I'd rather be talking to," Alex reveals, leaning back down in front of the blonde. "Seriously - are you okay?"

"I don't know," Piper sincerely responds; the fatigued look in her eyes telling Alex everything she needs to know.

* * *

Several hours later, the pair now sit opposite one another in the back office, whereby since Alex was in charge of locking up for the evening, they had found themselves stuck in conversation, resulting in being the only two still left in the building.

"I'm sorry about what I said yesterday," Piper apologises, breaking the silence between them. "I shouldn't have got so mad at you."

"It's okay," Alex says, giving a close-lipped smile. "I'm sorry for swearing like I did."

"I just don't know what I'm doing anymore. This is all so confusing."

Chuckling while she leans back, Alex crosses over her arms.

"I'm sure everything will work out for you in the end."

"Will it? I can barely be around you without either making an ass of myself or arguing with you."

"The beauty of power trips," the brunette again chuckles, causing Piper to smile.

"It's not that I'm not grateful," Piper begins, "I'm just… I grew up with people always doing things for me and it's something I promised myself I wouldn't let happen as an adult," she admits, feeling as though a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

"I get that. Maybe telling me that would have been better than the arguing though," Alex smiles, happy to see it mirrored in return. "Where did your boyfriend run off to? she asks, having not exactly heard what the couple had been talking about earlier at the bar.

"He left - something about meeting someone wanting to rent his apartment. Like you care anyway," the blonde adds, looking up at the smirking brunette, who, instead of offering a response, just lifts an eyebrow.

"I'm going to break up with him," Piper continues, maintaining their eye contact. "I've never really been that invested in the relationship. I thought it could work but then he dropped everything for his new job - myself included, and then you came along."

"Don't bring me into this," Alex chuckles. "I don't think all it took was me walking into your life to realise how much of an asshole he is."

"You don't get it, do you?" Piper asks, looking over at the brunette as though she'd hung the moon. "When I said I can't stop thinking about you, Alex, I meant it. Last night I-" the blonde pauses, contemplating whether she should really be sharing this information. "I couldn't even have sex with Larry without thinking about you. I had to stop half way… I just couldn't do it," she stops again, dropping her head down. "Just the thought of you with someone else makes me jealous and I know I have no right to feel that way, but I can't help it," she finally concludes while looking back up.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you aren't single," Alex says, moving from the desk chair to sit next to the blonde on the sofa. "I would lose my job if anything were to happen and get out."

"We'd be careful."

"That's not something that can ever be guaranteed," the brunette responds, copying the blonde as she sinks into the sofa.

"So where does this leave us?" Piper asks, turning her head to the right to look into Alex's eyes.

"Friends?" Alex asks, trying to convince herself as well as the blonde that it's even remotely possible.

Looking down from the brunette's green orbs, Piper moves her right hand and places it on top of Alex's left that's currently resting on the surface of her black jeans. She looks back up, searching for any sign of rejection, and in seeing none, the blonde proceeds to interlink their fingers.

"I don't just want to be your friend, Alex," she admits, gazing into the brunette's eyes.

Reaching up her free hand, Alex pushes Piper's loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear.

"We have to at least try."

"I don't know if I can."

The sound of their combined breathing is the only thing indicating that both women are still living beings; Piper's eyes lower to the brunette's lips and back up to reconnect their eyes. She takes the risk of moving forward slowly - not wanting to ruin the moment by making a rash decision.

"We can't," Alex whispers as she feels Piper's hot breath on her lips.

"I know," the blonde responds tilting her head to instead plant her lips to the side of the brunette's mouth, having to fight herself internally to not readjust her position a couple of centimetres to get the contact she really wants.

"We should get going," Alex says through closed over eyes, trying her best to ensure their current compromising position doesn't escalate any further.

"Yeah," Piper pulls back, giving off a small smile. "I have something I should be doing anyway," she adds - the brunette immediately aware as to what it is - or rather _who_ \- she's talking about.

"Well I guess I'll see you on Monday," Alex smiles, following the blonde as they stand up.

"Monday it is," Piper confirms, running her hand down the brunette's arm - squeezing her bicep - before exiting the office and eventually the restaurant altogether.

Alex tilts her head back and lets out a heavy sigh, both trying to fight back a smile at the openness of what the blonde had expressed, and a bout of worry as to how she thinks she'll even remotely be able to keep composed around the woman who she seems to be growing fonder and fonder of by the minute.

* * *

Lying in bed having locked up the restaurant and called her mother informing her of the evening's successes, Alex's phone vibrates from where it's resting on her nightstand. Rolling her eyes at the thought of it being Nicky giving her shit for the evening's events - well, those of which she happened to witness at least; the brunette leans over and picks up the device, putting her glasses on while doing so simultaneously.

_Piper: Is being single a crucial part of your criteria? _

Letting out a heavy breath through her nostrils, Alex finds herself smiling at her phone like a mad woman.

_Alex: I don't remember mentioning a criteria._

_Piper: Consider that box ticked then. _

In seeing the last message pop up on her screen, Alex bites down on her lip as she closes her eyes over and tilts her head back. The phone vibrates another time, causing the brunette to look back at the device.

_Piper: See you Monday, Ms Vause._

It's in this moment that Alex realises Piper's upping her game. She's single - well, as far as she can tell - and hasn't exactly held back when it came to expressing how she feels. The brunette knows she needs to keep her head screwed on, but something about the blonde makes her lose her head to begin with.


	8. Chapter 8

"_Larry?" Piper says in question as she opens the front door to her apartment. _

"_I'm in here," she hears a masculine voice come from the kitchen, whereby, once she reaches the room, she sees that her boyfriend is sitting on the kitchen island stool scrolling through his laptop. _

"_You're back late," Larry comments, not looking away from his screen. _

"_You left early," the blonde responds sharply, walking to the opposite side of the kitchen island. "How did it go with your apartment?" _

"_Great!" Larry lightens up. "I was only interested in renting it out, but she's come in with an offer to buy…" he pauses, anticipating Piper's response. _

"_And what did you say to that?" she asks, crossing over her arms. _

"_Piper - the offer wasn't just something I could turn down," he attempts to explain. _

"_So you just decided to go along with it without consulting with me?" she asks in a patronising manner. "Where're you going to live now, because you sure as hell aren't living here with me?" _

"_That's the thing-" he begins, clearing his throat. "I'm going to move Europe. I mean, I work there, so living there makes sense." _

_Laughing loudly in a dramatic fashion, Piper shakes her head. "Wow, you're fucking unbelievable." _

"_Can't you just be happy for me?" Larry raises his voice, obviously unimpressed with how the blonde in front of him is acting. "Think about it: you can come and visit whenever you want. I'll have a dream apartment and have a dream girlfriend." _

"_Had," Piper interrupts. "You had a dream girlfriend." _

"_You don't mean that-" _

"_Fuck yes I do!" Piper shouts, unfolding her arms to use her hands animatedly while she speaks. "This relationship sucks, Larry. You're never here, and quite frankly, it doesn't bother me as much as it should." _

"_Where is this coming from? You've never mentioned it before." _

"_Larry just admit it." _

"_But I love you," the man argues, his eyes glossing over with emotion._

"_I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same. I haven't for a while," Piper admits, not wanting to lie to the man. _

"_So you're just throwing away our relationship." _

"_Larry - there wasn't really anything to be thrown away to begin with," the blonde huffs out, frustrated at the man before her. _

"_There's someone else, isn't there?" Larry asks, his tone of voice lowering. _

_Piper pauses, unsure how to answer. Sure, she hasn't cheated on her boyfriend, but she would be lying to herself if she hadn't thought about doing it with a certain tall brunette whom she finds her mind drifting towards more than it should be. _

"_No, Larry, there isn't," she voices, quickly deciding to keep her attraction towards Alex away from the man's knowledge for the time being. "I just don't see this working anymore. It isn't even working now, nevermind the fact that you're moving away." _

"_You always have been a shitty liar," the man comments, standing up from his chair. "Maybe don't hesitate for so long next time," he concludes, storming out of the apartment with his bag of belongings, all the while making sure to slam the front door shut on his way out. _

_Leaning her arms against the kitchen island while lowering her head, Piper lets out a heavy breath. She'd done what she had intended on doing for quite some time, and although she was certain Larry wouldn't take it so well, she knew that deep down inside they both understood it was for the best. _

_Despite the fact that it's late in the evening, the blonde grabs a glass, moves to the fridge, and pours herself a glass of white wine. Before heading to bed, she reminds herself to send Alex a message, making sure her tiredness doesn't get the better of her. _

* * *

"So it ended just like that?" a friend of Piper's asks from where they're all seated along a rectangular table.

"Yep," the blonde confirms before taking a sip of her drink.

She's currently seated in the confines of a local restaurant with some of her friends from college, whereby the topic of conversation has shifted over onto the women's love lives. Initially, being invited to dinner with her friends was something the blonde was looking forward to, but that feeling soon came crashing down when her eyes set on an additional guest being that she was hosting some of the women in her home for the weekend.

Similarly to the time they all met in Connecticut, the group is joined by a younger, blonde haired woman who introduces herself as Amelia - not that Piper had allowed herself to forget. Upon the topic of relationships being spoken about by each of the 5 women surrounding the table, once it's the younger blonde's turn, Piper feels her stomach drop.

"What about you, Amelia, kept anyone around for a change?" one of Piper's friends asks, chuckling while doing so.

"Kind of," she answers through a smile. "We've texted a couple of times since we hooked up, but I haven't gone as far as asking her out yet."

Piper, upon hearing the revelation that Alex had indeed kept in contact with the woman she had slept with during their trip to Connecticut, clenches her jaw, choosing to not voice her questions that such a revelation had conjured.

"Why don't you ask her now?!" a red-haired woman sitting at the end of the table voices excitedly.

"You think?" the young blonde asks while giving a toothy smile.

"Why not?" another one of Piper's friends adds.

Sitting silently as her friends compose a flirtatious message to send the brunette from Amelia's phone, Piper decides to compose one of her own.

_Piper: So I'm having dinner with my friends and your girlfriend's here! _

Less than a minute later, Piper feels her phone vibrate, indicating that Alex had already replied.

_Alex: Either that message wasn't for me, or you know something that I don't._

Smiling to herself, Piper begins to type, knowing exactly how to get under the brunette's skin.

_Piper: Well if I had it my way, you'd definitely know about it. What're you doing tonight anyway? _

Upon sending her response, the blonde is dragged away from her own world in hearing the feminine giggles of her friends. Looking up, she sees the women smiling at the younger blonde's device, all of them coaxing her to press send.

"I can't believe you made me send that," the blonde says, shaking her head.

"Well, if you like this woman, you gotta impress her, right?" the red-haired woman once again comments, causing Piper to wonder what it is that had been sent in the end.

"I'd like to see what you've got hiding under those glasses," the young blonde says, reading aloud a section of the message. "I shouldn't have given you my phone," she laughs, obviously embarrassed.

"I agree," Piper eventually voices. "That doesn't even make any sense," she explains, trying to not reveal her underlying jealousy about the situation.

"Lighten up, Pipes," one of the women comments. "Maybe that's why you're single now."

The rest of the group join in with the light laughter, yet Piper chooses to bite her tongue, _little do you fucking know_, she thinks to herself.

"Oh my God," Amelia begins, while looking at the mobile device in her hand, "she replied."

Piper instantly looks down to check her own device - frowning that she herself hasn't received a response from Alex, but upon looking back up, she has to hold back a smile as she sees Amelia's face drop while she reads what had been sent back her way.

"What does it say?" the red-haired woman asks.

"It doesn't matter," the young blonde attempts to par off.

"It can't be that bad," another woman adds before she tries to reach across to grab the device.

"Okay! I'll read it," the young blonde announces, her arm outstretched to prevent anyone from seeing the screen.

"Hey, sorry, but I'm not really available in the dating world at the minute. I hope you find your someone. PS: I don't think contact lenses are that interesting," Amelia reads out, stunning every woman at the table - Piper included.

She finds herself attempting to hold back a smile in hearing Alex reject the other woman, and can't help but appreciate the wittiness in which the brunette went around the flirtatious undertones of the younger blonde's message.

"She's probably too busy with work," the red-haired woman says, attempting to console the situation. "Isn't that right, Piper. She works for you, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, things have been pretty hectic at the minute," Piper responds, internally laughing at the situation.

While the topic of conversation deviates and the women wait for the bill to arrive, Piper feels her phone finally vibrate.

_Alex: Nothing too tiresome… slaying dragons. Although I have a feeling you already knew that. _

Biting her lower lip, Piper feels her cheeks turn a light shade of pink in knowing she was in Alex's thoughts despite the nature of the other message she had just received.

* * *

The following day, Piper's as busy as usual; she has several meetings regarding the final stages of the case she's working on, and by the time it reaches midday, she's already fed up. The spokesperson in her final meeting of the afternoon makes it hard for her to remain focused, and with the glass wall covering the front of the meeting room, the view of Alex standing in position adds to her wavering attention.

Once she finally finishes her meetings, the blonde manages to persuade Alex that she wants to stop for coffee. The pair are yet to discuss anything that doesn't revolve around the blonde's working day, and with Piper's driver parking up and remaining in the car, Alex follows the blonde into the coffee shop whereby they join the end of the queue.

"You seemed to be having fun back in there," Alex comments, alluding towards the blonde's wondering eyes during her last meeting.

"The guy leading it loves to repeat himself," Piper responds. "Plus, the view wasn't so bad either," she adds quietly before moving up in the queue where they're now the ones being served, successfully stunning the brunette in the process.

After ordering, paying for, and collecting two drinks, the blonde leads the way out of the shop, Alex following in tow.

"How do you know what drink I like?" the brunette comments, catching up with Piper to open her car door.

"How do you know that the drink's for you?" she smartly asks back, raising an eyebrow as she turns to look at the taller woman while getting into the car, leaning forward to kindly give the drink over to her driver.

* * *

"Ms Chapman?" Piper hears Alex's voice echoing from up the stairs while she remains on the lower floor of her apartment.

"What is it?" the blonde asks back loudly, instantly knowing why the brunette sounds so confused.

"Can you come up here please?"

Upon hearing Alex's question, Piper grins to herself and begins to ascend the stairs.

"What's going on in here?" the brunette goes on to ask once Piper appears in the door frame of the upstairs spare office-like room.

"I'm changing it up a bit."

"Into what?" Alex asks, frowning at the messy room, whereby the floor is covered in white tarp, the walls have its wallpaper stripped, and a medium sized ladder rests against the border of a window.

"I was thinking of a little home gym situation; I figured I should finally make some use out of this room."

"Hmm," Alex hums, walking carefully into the space. "I put one of those in my apartment a few years back," she adds, her back still to the blonde.

"All by yourself?"

"Yep," Alex says, eyes still scanning the room. "I had a spell of free time and went with the 'why not?' philosophy."

"I'd have to come and see it some time," Piper responds, causing the brunette to finally turn her way. "You know, for reference."

Despite her hesitation, Alex smiles before delivering a promising: "sure".

"So what did you get up to last night?" Piper asks as the pair leave the room and head back downstairs, deciding to finally bring the burning topic up.

"Stayed inside, cooked some dinner - the usual. What about yourself? Good night out?"

"It was okay," Piper responds, wondering how to go about the conversation given Alex's cryptic answer. "That's not really what I meant though."

"Listen," the brunette begins, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. "I don't think we need to talk about it…" she pauses, correcting herself. "About her."

"Oh I think we do," the blonde bites down on her lower lip in thought. "Did you two still talk after you… you know-"

"No," Alex interrupts before Piper got the chance to finish her sentence, yet knowing what she was going to say. "I didn't even know she had my number."

"Good," the blonde says as her head tilts to the left, causing Alex to wonder where her counterpart is going with that comment.

Before either of the two get the chance to expand, a knocking on the front door - followed by the sound of jingling keys, resonates, causing both women to look at one another in question. Alex moves past the blonde and into the hallway to see who is attempting to enter the property, and in seeing a familiar face, her shoulder somewhat relax.

"Oh what a surprise: you're here," a male voice begins, having walked in through the door's threshold.

"Larry what the fuck?" Piper's voice comes from behind the brunette. "You can't just waltz into my apartment. We broke up."

"I know that," the man responds in a patronising manner. "I came to collect my things that I left in your room," he adds, attempting to walk past the two women to get to the staircase.

"They're down there," Piper comments, pointing down at a plastic bag resting against her shoe rack.

"Wow, how generous of you."

"Just take your stuff and leave, Larry," the blonde rolls her eyes at her ex-boyfriend's childlike manner. "Oh, and give me my key back," she adds, internally questioning why she even revealed to him where she kept her spare.

"So you're just kicking me out? Not even going to talk about what happened?" he asks, seeing the rapid manner in which the blonde is trying to get this over and done with.

"Well, we were just leaving to go and grab some building things from Alex's, so yes, I am kicking you out," Piper answers, avoiding Alex's questioning eyes that she can feel burning into the side of her head.

"Ah, _things_…" Larry begins, laughing while tilting his head back slightly. "I told you you were shitty liar, Piper. Since when do you ever do any DIY?"

"How would you even fucking know, Larry? And why does it even matter to you? Just get the fuck out," the blonde responds, growing agitated at the man's pettiness.

"Enjoy getting your _things_ then," he says as a farewell with the muttering of several other profanities paired with the sound of a set of keys being thrown onto the floor as the door closes over.

"He was charming," Alex says, still in the same position as she had been when the exchange began.

"Sorry about him. He didn't take the break-up very well," Piper apologises while reaching down to pick up the keys from the floor before moving to the side drawer to swap them for her car keys.

"You in a hurry to go somewhere?" Alex asks, stepping back to let the blonde grab a coat from her coat stand.

"Your place," she stoically replies. "If that's okay with you?" she looks over in the brunette's direction seriously as her hand grazes the front door's handle.

"It seems as though I have no choice," Alex chuckles.

"Correct answer," Piper confirms, trying hard to downplay her sudden bout of excitement.

* * *

"This is a nice place you've got here," Piper comments as Alex opens the door and steps aside to allow her to enter first.

The apartment is large - not as big as her own, and proves to show that the brunette and herself have similar tastes when it comes to decor, being that an appropriate mix of a luxurious yet homely feel is given off throughout the rooms.

"Are you done?" Alex asks from where she's still standing by the front, smiling at the awe in Piper's eyes as she looks around the open-planned kitchen-dining area.

"Yeah, sorry. Lead the way."

Unlike her own, Alex's apartment is all on one floor, and upon following the brunette along the hallway, Piper finds herself enjoying Alex acting like a tour guide, whereby she shares minor details about some of the objects they see along the way.

"Here we are," she voices when they eventually reach their destination. "It's nothing special, but it's something to look at, I guess."

Piper steps into the room and looks around at the gym equipment that fills the space, along with observing the set of mirrors that lines up against the side wall.

"What used to be in here?" the blonde asks, turning to face Alex in the doorway.

"It was a guest room, but I never really had anyone stay in here. My friends would normally just flop onto the couch if they did stay over."

"I like it," Piper smiles genuinely, turning back to take some mental notes as to how the room looks.

"I feel like I could have just sent you some pictures of the room," Alex says, trying not to smirk as she anticipates the blonde's response.

"You could have done, yeah," the blonde agrees. "But where's the fun in that?"

What began as an awkward silence turned into the brunette playing as hostess, which turned into the pair returning back down to the living area, which turned into the consumption of a bottle of wine, which turned into the two women sitting down to eat the dinner that Alex had cooked for them.

"Do you wanna talk about what happened back there with whatshisface?" Alex asks after taking a bite of her food.

"Not really. Well, there isn't anything to really talk about. I broke up with him and he was being a dick about it."

"How're you feeling about it?"

"Honestly, relieved. I'd thought about doing it for a while, but didn't want to do it over the phone or through a text message."

"Makes sense," the brunette nods.

"What about you? How're you feeling about it?"

"Should I have some sort of feelings about it?" Alex counters, using her fork to push around the food on her plate.

"I'd like you think that you do."

"Well, if I must, I'd say that if you're happy about it, I'm happy about it."

"Original answer," Piper chuckles, leaning back as she pushes her cutlery together into the centre of her plate.

"What?" Alex asks as she sees the blonde opposite her rest the weight of her head against her chin, elbow on the table.

"How long have you worn glasses?" Piper asks, ignoring the other woman's comment.

"Pretty much my whole life. I can't really see much without them. Why?"

"They suit you. That'll all."

"That's a relief then," Alex smiles, too pushing her cutlery into the centre of her plate before finishing off the remaining liquid in her glass. "Another one?" she asks, referring to both of their now empty glasses.

Piper contemplates turning down the offer for the split second in which her brain was telling her she'll need to be home for work in the morning, but her curious side takes over, deciding that this is an opportunity that may never arise again anytime soon.

"Sure."

The pair shuffle into the living room space, whereby they sit next to one another and entertain genuine conversation - one in which doesn't stray towards work or schedules.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that you're giving me this on purpose," Piper digresses through a toothy smile once a silence springs upon them as she swirls the wine in her glass around.

"What makes you think that?"

"I can't drive home now, can I?" the blonde states the obvious. "Unless of course you didn't want me to be able to…?" she probes flirtatiously.

"I just know a stressed person when I see one," Alex responds, resting her left elbow onto the top of the sofa to hold the weight of her head in her palm from where her body is turned in towards the woman before her.

"Going back home could be a bad idea anyway, you know, pissed ex-boyfriend on the loose and all."

"You can stay here if you want," Alex says through a chuckle. "It's not like I don't have the room."

"I'd like that," Piper smiles, draining her drink before placing it down onto the small coffee table in front of the sofa; returning back to where she was just positioned - except this time joining the brunette in placing her elbow onto the top of the sofa so she can hold the weight of her head in her palm.

"What're you thinking about?" the blonde goes on to ask quietly.

"About how badly I want to kiss you right now," the brunette reveals, vocalising how she feels for the first time - somewhat surprising the blonde.

"Do you want to know what I'm thinking about?"

"What're you thinking about?"

"How much I want you to," Piper answers, causing a silence to fill the room.

"You've only just ended a relationship…" Alex leaves hanging in the air.

"A loveless one, yes," the blonde responds, eyes looking down at the brunette's lips before moving back up to her emerald eyes. "What're you so afraid of?"

"Something going wrong. Losing my job."

"That's not going to happen, Alex."

The brunette, however, doesn't respond, instead lifting her hand to push a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Aren't you worried?"

"We won't be working together forever. Only a few more months at best if I had to guess," the blonde pauses, placing her left hand over the brunette's wrist that's resting on her cheek. "Kiss me, Alex."

The months of sexual tension had inevitably brought them to this moment, and despite all of her voiced anxieties, the brunette can no longer lie to herself. She watches Piper's blue eyes staring into her own - not like they would be able to change what her mind is now already set on.

Leaning forward, the brunette tilts her head to the left, and - in what feels like an eternity of tension - connects their lips. She hears a relieved breath escape Piper's mouth, and when she feels the blonde's mouth open to change the angle of the kiss, Alex allows herself to let out a groan. Piper releases her grip on the brunette's wrist to instead place it on her jaw, which soon results in repositioning around to the back of her head, fingers running through her dark hair.

The kiss comes to a natural end once both women break away for air; the blonde rests her forehead against Alex's before pulling back to speak.

"Good thing I didn't mention that I could get my driver to come pick me up."

"Oh, I _knew_ not to mention the idea of your driver picking you up," Alex responds, smiling when the blonde pulls on the material of her t-shirt to fuse their mouths back together.

* * *

**I initially intended for this to have happened in Chapter 10, but, as you can see, my patience went out the window...**


	9. Chapter 9

**I know this is short, but I wanted to give an update as I've been focusing on writing and bring my other story to a close (check it out if you haven't already done so/have missed the update). **

**Just seen that the trailer for Season 7 is out today (well, according to the current time in the UK it is), so here's also something to help the time pass by (and maybe make you feel less shit about the fact that this trailer will be the last). **

**Please let me know what you think. **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

It's near 3am when Piper finds herself awoken by a sound coming from outside in the street. Sitting up slowly, her eyes scan the room, and in finding herself in an unfamiliar setting, she momentarily panics. However, she's brought back to reality when she registers the feeling of an outstretched weight lying across her waist, allowing her to relax. Lying to her left, the blonde watches Alex's dark hair contrasting with her white pillow, all the while her chest rises as she breathes softly in her sleep.

They'd continued to make out in Alex's living room after sharing their first kiss, and although both women found themselves growing more and more aroused by the minute, the moment soon came to mutual end; deciding to do the sensible thing considering the consequences their actions could put them in. While a part of her felt an irritation between her legs that worsened at the thought of having sex with the woman lying next to her, Piper was somewhat relieved they didn't go that far; she didn't want to make Alex feel like the rebound of her newly broken-down relationship.

Lying on her back with her eyes still wide open, the blonde decides to head to the bathroom. She manages to successfully remove herself from Alex's grasp, whereby she surprisingly doesn't wake the sleeping woman as she moves the hand that had found solace on her toned stomach underneath the t-shirt she had borrowed for the evening.

Remembering the brunette had another bathroom situated elsewhere in her apartment, Piper heads out of the bedroom, telling herself that if she went into the en-suite she would risk waking a still sleeping Alex.

After using the bathroom located near the kitchen, the blonde uses her time to study parts of the apartment she was yet to see in great detail. There's one room that left her feeling curious - noting earlier throughout the evening that the door had been left ajar yet not wide enough to see inside. Quietly walking across the lightly coloured oak hardwood floor, Piper pushes open the door and immediately fathoms that the room is the brunette's home office.

It's a luxurious room - arguably one that contrasts with the homely feel of the rest of the apartment. The dark desk is the home of a large, top of the range desktop computer, along with a small, green plant and writing appliances; the walls host a light grey colour opposing the white ceiling and sofa positioned on the other side of the room; the far wall has a built-in bookcase that - upon a further close-up inspection - seems to host a range of literature linked to the world of crime and investigation; and the wall behind the desk hosts a shrine in what looks like mementos of the brunette's successes, displaying things such as newspaper article clippings and printed pictures in frames. The place is the epitome of Alex's professional persona; nothing looks out of place, and every detail of the room seems to have some sort of well-thought out purpose.

Slowly walking over to the space behind Alex's desk, Piper scans her eyes over the timeline of the brunette's past in what seems to highlight both her academic and working life. Images range from two different university graduation pictures - immediately catalysing a curiosity within the blonde - to images of Alex with a small group of others wearing police uniforms - those of which the blonde guesses were members the tall woman's policing squad. A certificate of the brunette's diploma is framed in the space directly behind the desk chair, indicating in black cursive that: 'Alexandra Pearl Vause' had received a Masters of Science - specialising in criminal psychology - from Harvard University. _Of course she went to Harvard_, Piper thinks to herself as she lets out a close-lipped smile.

"You know, I never did like my middle name," a tired, husky voice rings out from behind where Piper is currently standing.

Turning around, the blonde sets her eyes on Alex's newly woken state, and if it weren't for the fact that she'd been caught somewhat snooping around, she'd take the time to appreciate the tall woman's figure in her band t-shirt and gym shorts.

"Fuck, you scared me," the blonde responds, placing a hand over her heart out of shock.

"I woke up and you weren't there. Wondered if you'd run off," the brunette says, stepping further into the room and rounding the desk to stand closer to the blonde.

"Of course not," Piper smiles, moving her hands on top of the raven-haired woman's shoulders as she perches down on the edge of the desk. "I couldn't sleep so went to the bathroom."

"And ended up in here?" Alex says out of question as she wraps her arms around her counterpart's waist, pulling her further into the space between her legs.

"Sorry I-"

"Don't worry about it," Alex says through a smile. "I just didn't think you'd want a tour of my office."

"You were wrong," Piper says before ending the conversation and placing both hands on the brunette's cheeks, pulling her in for a kiss.

Opening her mouth to deepen their intimacy, Piper finds herself suddenly pulling away as she breaks out into a large yawn.

"Tired?" Alex asks as she lets out a smile, running her hands up and down the blonde's back.

"Sorry," the smaller woman apologises as she reaches down to grab both of Alex's hands. "I think going back to bed is on the cards."

"Considering it's 3:30 in the morning and we have work in a few hours, I'll have to agree with you," the brunette chuckles as she lets Piper pull her back to bed.

* * *

The pair wake up at a more suitable hour - well, _waking up_ only seemed to run smoothly for Alex, and after spending more time than they should have making sure their lips were well enough acquainted with one another, both parties are running late.

"Just grab something from my wardrobe," Alex shouts to the blonde from where she's situated in the kitchen, having come to the conclusion that the latter doesn't have the time to go home for a new outfit.

Piper, meanwhile, is faced with a closet filled with many a white shirt, dark trousers and blazer jackets: _great_. Quickly deciding that she can't go into her workplace wearing the exact replica of what her bodyguard wears on a near daily basis, Piper rummages around and finds the section of what she guesses is Alex's _normal_ wardrobe section, whereby a row of t-shirts and blouses are aligned. Selecting a pink v-neck blouse to match a black pair of trousers, the blonde pushes the cupboard door over; however, in seeing the two doors not in line with one another - and failing to reach that status as she pushes down on the wood another two times, Piper re-opens the door only to see a small cardboard box blocking the door from fully closing over - quickly coming to the conclusion that it must have shifted out of its regular place.

With her curiosity getting the better of her, the blonde bends down and pushes open the two flaps on the top of the box, lifting her eyebrows at what she sees.

Inside is - what must be - Alex's old police uniform, and if her assumptions are correct, sticking up at the sides under the layers of clothing, are small objects that look like badges - medals even.

"What're you doing?" Alex's voice projects loudly, scaring the living daylights out of the blonde for the second time that morning.

"I was just-" Piper begins before the brunette brushes past her body, leans down to slam the cardboard box shut, and closes the wardrobe door over.

"We're leaving in 5," Alex voices through a tone that Piper immediately connotes with agitation.

Quickly getting changed, the blonde tries to wrack her brain over what it is she had done to angered the taller woman so badly. Figuring it had something to do with the contents of the box she had stumbled upon, Piper decides to approach the subject subtly, having already experienced what it is like to be in Alex's bad books.

* * *

The car journey to work had been a quiet one, and to make matters worse, since the pair had left the brunette's apartment that morning, they were yet to have a moment alone for Piper to even begin to bring up what had happened.

When she's finally given the chance to take a lunch break from her meetings, the blonde is informed of the fact that she's being given a temporary office - surprising her immensely. Of course it makes her life easier, but the best part is that - unlike most of the rooms and offices in the modern building she finds herself in, the one she is being given is surrounded by regular walls, not flashy alternatives made from glass.

Pleased to finally be in a zone of privacy, Piper smiles as she hears a knock on the door and watches Alex walk in.

"This is new," the brunette comments, causing the blonde to immediately pick up on her reluctance to discuss her earlier attitude.

"Can we talk about earlier?" Piper asks, not wanting to delay having her questions answered.

Looking behind her, Alex sighs as she steps into the office's threshold and closes the door over behind her.

"I was in a bad mood. I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she begins, not moving any further into the room.

"So it had nothing to do with the box I found?" the blonde probes, lifting an eyebrow in question.

"What box?" Alex responds, trying to play dumb.

"You have a Masters degree from Harvard, Alex. Don't act like a dumbass."

Piper watches the tall brunette before her raise her hands to fiddle with her glasses while she moves her legs to shift the distribution of her weight.

"Those are memories that I'd rather leave behind," she admits cryptically.

"Your police work?"

"That's part of it," she reveals before pausing, teeth chewing down on the corner of her lip as though in deep thought. "I don't want to go through this with you right now."

"If not now then when?"

"When I feel ready," the brunette says, surprising herself more than the blonde. "What happened it's not- I find it hard to talk about, so I never really do."

"I get that. I'm sorry for bringing it up," Piper says sympathetically, picking up on the fact that the woman before her looks uncomfortable. "You know the ladies on reception pointed out that they liked my outfit," she digresses, smiling at the look of appreciation the brunette sent her way.

"I mean, it probably does look better on you."

"You'll have to put it on and show me some time," the blonde smirks.

"Sure," Alex responds through a chuckle. "I'll be needed downstairs in a minute, so I'll see you when you're done."

"Can't wait," Piper says, delivering a toothy smile while waving goodbye to the retreating brunette.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days pass by uneventfully, and although she's been swamped under in work, Piper finds herself craving any form of company that doesn't want to talk about deadlines or trial dates. Her friends had recently left on their traditional break to Napa Valley, but with the court case she had been working on beginning within the next few weeks, the blonde couldn't afford to take an extended amount of time off from work. Contact with Alex, on the other hand, was a different story. The brunette remained distant in conversation, and although things had reached new heights as to where their relationship stood, Piper felt as though progress was somewhat moving backwards.

"Are you sure you don't want to say for dinner?" Piper had asked one evening after Alex had finished her routine sweep of her apartment.

"I should really get back," Alex responded. "I'm seeing some friends this evening. Maybe some other time."

"Yeah, I guess so," the blonde had commented quietly, trying to not act jealous at the fact that others get to spend quality time with the taller woman outside of working scenarios.

Since that exchange two evenings ago, Piper found herself wondering when it was that things between herself and Alex would even remotely appear to be running normally again, and when she finds herself in a meeting with herself, Alex and the taller woman's boss about her security for the beginning of her court case, it's hard to focus on anything other than the brunette herself.

"So yourself and Alex will be staying somewhere nearby - that's yet to be confirmed, but we'll let you know as soon as we can," the grey-haired man who - if she were to guess - is in his early 50s voices while scratching his beard.

"That's if you'd be comfortable with that," Alex contributes, eyes searching Piper's for a form of confirmation that has the blonde wondering why she would have any doubts about such a thing.

"No - of course I'm fine with that. I trust how you work," the blonde responds, trying to sound professional given the presence of the brunette's boss.

"Excellent," the man says. "Alex is one of the best - if not the best - at her job around, so you're in safe hands, Ms Chapman," he smiles, his brown eyes proving the sincere nature of his words. "Do you have any questions for either of us?" he goes on to ask, indicating that the conversation is coming to an end.

"No, everything's great, thank you," Piper responds, getting up and rounding her office desk to approach the now standing man.

"That's all I've got to say then for the time being. Anything to add, Alex?" he asks, turning to face the brunette who has now also joined him in a standing position.

"No sir, not at the minute."

"Alright then, I'll be seeing you next week, Ms Chapman," the man concludes, holding out his hand for the blonde to shake.

"Actually, could I please have a word with Alex?" Piper asks, getting a word in before the pair leave the room.

"I'll leave you two to it," the man says as he opens the door. "I'll talk to you some other time about next week, Vause," he adds before closing the door over, leaving the two women alone for the first time that afternoon.

Piper, eager to express how she's feeling, walks over to the taller woman standing by the closed door and places her hands on both cheeks, pulling her into a searing kiss as she backs her up against the door.

"God, you were so hot just then," the blonde says between kisses, giving in to the feeling of finally coming into physical contact with the woman before her.

Although she reciprocated the unexpected kiss, Alex finds herself in the middle of an internal battle; placing her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders, she pushes her back slightly, breaking the kiss.

"What're you doing?" the brunette asks, her breathing shallow.

"Don't act all shy on me now, Alex," Piper responds, running her right index finger over the dark-haired woman's bottom lip.

"We can't be doing this here. You know that."

"But that doesn't mean that I don't want to… that you don't want to."

"As much as I want that, not here. We both have work to be doing."

"So is that why you've been avoiding me?" the blonde asks, voicing her suspicion for the first time, despite her sarcastic tone.

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like, Alex? Because you're making me feel like I've done something wrong over here," Piper says sharply, taking a step back from the woman still up against the door.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Alex runs her right hand through her hair, gripping the dark locks attached to the back of her head.

"Can we not do this here? I'd like one day at work where I don't feel stressed out, okay?" the brunette comments, somewhat worrying the blonde before her at the sudden flash of vulnerability she'd shown.

"Sure," Piper pauses, her eyes following Alex's hands that move down her own torso to straighten out her black blazer.

"After you when you're ready, Ms Chapman," the brunette voices, tilting her head towards the door, indicating that she's ready to leave whenever Piper is.

After the blonde collects her belongings and is guided out of the building, the pair are soon seated in the back of the Jeep belonging to Piper's driver. Watching her surrounding environment out the window, the blonde notices that they aren't taking the regular route they normally do to get to her apartment, and when the car stops at the side of an empty road, she furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

"Here's great, thanks, Marcus," Alex says to the driver, patting him on the shoulder as she steps out of the car and holds an arm out to assist the blonde as she follows.

"Where are we?" Piper finally asks as she gets out the vehicle and watches Alex close over the door.

"Here," the brunette smugly comments. "This way," she adds, walking towards the left along the pavement - the sound of their mode of transport departing proving to be the only sound within their current vicinity.

"Seriously, Alex - where are we going?"

"Just be patient," Alex says, turning to face the blonde. "Trust me."

If there's one thing for certain, it's that Piper indefinitely trusts the dark-haired woman whose job it is to ensure her safety, and as they take a right turn onto the next street, the blonde immediately recognises where they are.

"Was this just a ploy to take me back to yours?" Piper asks as she sees Alex's apartment building in the near distance.

"That's one way of putting it," the brunette smiles before grabbing the blonde's right wrist and assisting her as they cross the street.

"I know how to cross the road, Alex," Piper jokes, chuckling slightly.

"I know that," the brunette responds seriously as she looks into the blonde's blue eyes, pulling her hand away from her wrist to open the lobby door.

By the time they reach Alex's small apartment, Piper smirks to herself at the fact that Alex had gone out of her way to bring her here while not wanting anyone else to know about it at the same time, _maybe sneaking around won't be as bad as it seems_, the blonde thinks to herself, but is soon pulled from her thoughts as Alex appears in front of her in the front hallway.

"Drink?" she asks while taking off her blazer and placing it onto the nearby coat rack.

"I'll have whatever you already have open," Piper says, starting to remove her grey trench coat.

"White wine okay with you?" Alex asks as she begins to disappear into the kitchen area.

"Perfect, thanks," the blonde smiles, hoping that something positive will come out of their time together.

* * *

Throughout the next 2 hours, the two seem to revel in one another's company, and as they find themselves seated in the brunette's living room eating the takeout Chinese they had ordered, it seems as though no trace of tension is apparent, but it isn't until Piper soon grows confident enough to ask one of her many burning questions that the atmosphere soon shifts.

"So why do you do what you currently do workwise?" she questions before biting into a mouthful of chow mein.

"Wow - going in with the heavy stuff, I see," Alex says with raised eyebrows as she sips on her glass of wine.

"I'm curious, that's all."

"Well, I'm pretty good at leading particularly stressful situations and I like helping people, so I figured being a bodyguard would be right up my alley," the brunette admits, putting down her glass to prepare a new mouthful of food.

"But you didn't start off your career doing that?" Piper probes in question, immediately seeing Alex somewhat freeze out of her peripheral vision.

"No. No I didn't," the brunette confirms before changing the subject. "What about you? Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?"

"Not entirely," the blonde ponders, looking up towards the ceiling in thought. "I always knew I wanted to help people, but I wasn't too sure what form that would come in. I spent some time volunteering for some local charities and went to some free classes before I decided I wanted to go into law."

"And was it all it was made out to be?"

"I guess so. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but it has its ups and downs."

"Doesn't every job?" Alex chuckles, placing her cutlery into the centre of her empty plate and pushing it further into the middle of the coffee table in front of them.

"Of course they do… it's just the extent of the shittiness you encounter. I mean, I've seen it all: grieving families, inadequate policing, false convictions. It just gets to the point where you question whether you really can help the people that deserve it," the blonde admits, sounding somewhat nostalgic.

"From what I've seen and heard, you've done your fair share of service," the brunette says, placing her hand on the blonde's knee, squeezing it slightly. "Some people just don't want to be helped."

"If I had a dollar for the number of times I've heard that one," Piper smiles, yet it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"How are you?" Alex suddenly asks. "Mentally? Physically? You've been working a lot, even for the average lawyer."

"Tired, stressed. Nothing I haven't been through before," the blonde comments, appreciating the raven-haired woman's attentiveness. "I just can't wait for this all to be over."

"Then you can finally be rid of me," the brunette returns a smile, turning her body to the right to settle into the sofa more comfortably.

"That isn't something I want, and if you couldn't already tell that, I'm guessing my signals haven't been that easy to read as of recent."

"Oh your signals have been clear alright," Alex smiles. "I just thought I'd check they were still in tact," she adds, giving Piper the bait she needs to take this conversation back to where she had hoped it would go initially.

"I thought it might have been you that changed your mind considering you've been doing everything in your power to avoid being alone with me for extended periods this week."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel that way," the brunette apologises. "That's why I brought you here this evening. I wanted to show you something."

Before Piper gets the chance to reply, Alex stands up from her seat and moves to leave the room.

"Wait there," she says before disappearing.

It's another few minutes before the brunette returns, and - very much to Piper's surprise - she's holding the cardboard box that had been the very cause of the underlying tension that seems to have settled between them throughout this past week.

Returning to the space that she had inhabited a few minutes prior, Alex extends her arms and hands the box over to the blonde, giving a close-lipped smile while doing so - an indication that it's okay to look inside at its contents.

Piper, meanwhile, isn't entirely sure how to feel about what's happening - sure, she wants to know what's inside the box, but a part of her is afraid that whatever's inside will restore the memory of something she won't be able to save the woman before her from.

Pulling back the flaps on the top of the box in a much slower fashion than she had done previously, Piper's eyes again fall on the garments that reveal an insight into Alex's past. Skimming her finger along the black hat sitting at the top of the pile of objects, the blonde proceeds to carefully analyse the items that would have been moulded to the brunette's body. A series of both dark and light blue garments are neatly folded on top of one another, and as she attempts to keep the items of clothing in their tidy order, Piper's vision is captured as - out the corner of her eye - she sees Alex holding out her arms, indicating that she'll take the items that are proving to be an obstacle.

Lifting up the pieces of the old uniform and giving them over to the brunette to hold, the blonde now has a view of the various miscellaneous objects lying in the bottom half of the box. A close-lipped smile graces her lips as she eyes the medals and documents highlighting the extent of Alex's services; however, it isn't until her blue orbs land on two similar looking uniform badges that Piper's curiosity begins to - yet again - peak.

She notices the two badges are identical in detail bar the identification numbers running across the top, and when she runs her fingers along the inscribed silver digits, the blonde gets a sense of the sentimental values these particular objects hold for the woman seated to her left.

Underneath the medals and badges lie some framed newspaper articles - most of which giving the brunette a mention regarding a particularly successful act, but it isn't until her fingers brush against a neatly folded article under a frame that Piper feels her internal tide shift.

'_Police chief killed in armed car chase_,' the article's headline reads, and below the bold font lies two pictures: one of a police car so damaged it must have been written off, and another of a younger version of Alex standing by the side of the car - dried blood staining her face as well as the right shoulder of her light blue shirt - in what must have been captured without her knowledge.

Reading through the article, Piper learns that the police car had been shot mid-chase, resulting in the death of the chief, and that the car then crashed at a high speed.

"Everyone called her Red," Alex says stoically, noting the blonde's eyes falling into a daze as she finishes reading the contents of the article.

Looking up from the newspaper clipping for what seems like the first time in hours, Piper observes the brunette's twitching fingers fiddling with the edge of one of the blue shirts in her arms - noting the red stained patch adorning the shoulder of the material.

"She was weeks away from retiring… the longest serving member and the first female chief officer," she adds, sounding emotionless while staring into the distance. "She scared the shit out of most people and took no one's bullshit, but everyone had so much respect for her," Alex concludes, finally finding the courage to look into Piper's inquisitive blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Alex," is all the blonde can muster up, not quite knowing how to handle the current situation she'd found herself in.

"They'd taken that picture without my permission," the brunette comments, nodding her head down towards the image of her broken self. "You'd think they'd wait a few minutes before having a photoshoot at a fucking crime scene," she adds, her right fist curving into a ball around the material in her hand.

Looking back into the box, Piper's eyes return to the badges she had previously discovered. She instantly understands who the other badge must have belonged to, and her heart clenches out of sympathy for the woman seated next to her.

"Who was driving?" Piper asks as she moves the box onto the empty space on the floor next to the coffee table, turning her body to give Alex her full attention.

"I was," the brunette pauses, looking down while visibly clenching her jaw. "The windshield smashed, a chunk of glass went into my shoulder, and I lost control of the car," she explains in a self-loathing manner.

"You can't blame yourself, Alex," Piper says, reaching over to place a hand on top of the brunette's.

"Well who else crashed the fucking car?" Alex asks with a raised voice.

"You weren't the one who hurt her, Alex. You can't blame yourself for something that was out of your control," the blonde counters, moving both hands to remove the items resting on the brunette's lap and place them back into the cardboard box on the floor, closing it over after doing so.

She takes this opportunity to study Alex's face; her eyes are glossed over with the inevitable tears she's trying to keep at bay, and her cheeks are somewhat flushed - a sign of the fluctuating emotional state she's currently battling. Reaching up a hand, Piper moves a strand of the brunette's dark hair behind her ear before cupping her jaw.

"Oh, Alex," she murmurs, pulling the emotional woman forward into a hug, trying her best to be comforting despite the evident shaking of the brunette's shoulders and the wet tears painting her neck.

Despite having witnessed many a breakdown during her years of living, for the first time, Piper doesn't know what to do; Alex's silent sobs can just about be heard in the already quiet room, and after a few minutes of letting the brunette cry into her neck while she rubs her back, the blonde finally feels Alex pull back while resting a hand against her shoulder.

"Sorry," the brunette apologises, using her free hand to wipe the tear-stained skin under her glasses.

"You don't have apologise, Al," Piper smiles before reaching up to turn off the light switch on the wall behind her before returning back to her previous position.

"I don't really like talking about it if you couldn't already tell," Alex says, sniffling her nose. " I couldn't deal with all the shit that happened in the following months, so I quit."

"I'm sure she'd be proud of how far you've come."

"It's a work in progress," Alex smiles, "but I'm getting there."

Smiling at the fact that the brunette is showing more than just her usual professional persona, Piper shuffles onto her side while tapping the empty space in front of her, indicating that she wants Alex to lie down in the space.

Letting out a heavy breath through her nose, the brunette complies and shuffles to lie down so that her back is against Piper's front.

"God, I'm too tall for this," the brunette laughs as she bends her legs so that they're linked with those of the blonde's behind her.

"You seem fine from here," Piper says, running a hand down Alex's side before wrapping it around her waist, feeling the brunette's abdomen rising and falling as she breathes in a more controlled manner.

"Feeling better?" the blonde asks when a silence falls upon them.

"Much," Alex turns her head left so that she can see the smaller woman's face. "Thank you."

"I like seeing this side of you."

"Hmm?"

"Your non-professional side," Piper grins, placing a hand on Alex's cheek to place a kiss on her jaw.

"Don't get used to it," the brunette responds, turning her head further to the left so that the blonde's lips land on her own.

Smiling as the kiss comes to a natural end, Piper wraps her left arm back around Alex's body; nuzzling her face into her neck. The pair share a chuckle at the image of the two of them trying to fit onto the below average sized sofa, and although they should really relocate to sleep in Alex's bedroom, neither woman can be bothered to move - unfazed by the inevitable ache their bodies are bound to experience in the morning.


	11. Chapter 11

**I know this is short, but I've been pretty ill all week and am travelling for the next few days. **

**Please let me know what you think in the reviews! **

**Enjoy (from a bitter British person sticking to watching the tennis instead of the football for the time being). **

* * *

Waking up to the smell of coffee, Alex groans as she blindly reaches out an arm to find her glasses on the coffee table opposite her. It takes her a moment to realise she had fallen asleep on the living room sofa, and when her eyes catch a glimpse of the contents of the floor, her mind immediately floods back to the events of the prior evening, as well as the fact that she hadn't slept alone in the living room.

"I thought I'd make you breakfast in bed, but I guess that doesn't really apply here," Piper's voice breaks the brunette out of her daydream, causing her to look up to the left to follow the sound.

She observes the blonde standing in the threshold of the room holding two plates of food before she approaches to place them down onto the small table in front of where they had slept.

It's in this moment that Alex allows herself to look at the blonde, and by look, she _really looks_. Piper is wearing a pair of shorts that the brunette recognises as her own along with the white work shirt that she had left behind the last time she had stayed over. The sleeves are rolled up to her elbows and the top three buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of her smooth skin. Her hair is tied up into a messy bun and her feet are bare; it doesn't take a genius to notice the blonde's natural beauty, and despite her attempt to be subtle, the light blush appearing on Piper's cheeks indicates that she's aware of the brunette's burning gaze.

Piper then turns to head back into the kitchen - giving Alex another sight to explore - before returning with two mugs, placing them down onto the table in a similar fashion, and then taking a seat next to the now risen brunette.

"You didn't have to do this," Alex voices, looking at the blonde who shuffles to the edge of the sofa to reach for her plate.

"I don't have any food of my own at home, so thought I'd make the most of it," she jokes, turning her head to give off a toothy smile. "Do you have an imaginary friend or something I don't know about?" Piper goes on to ask, referring to Alex's seemingly frozen state.

"Sorry, yeah… I mean no," Alex stumbles, causing the blonde to lightly chuckle. "I'm just not used to people doing things for me," she explains, shuffling to the edge of the seat like the woman next to her.

"You better start getting used to it then," Piper voices, trying to ignore the clench in her stomach at the sight of Alex's rose coloured cheeks, however she lets the moment slide - not knowing what's going on in the dark-haired woman's head considering how emotionally draining the prior evening proved to be.

The pair eat their breakfast and lightly converse about all things from the weather to up-and-coming holidays right until Piper checks the time.

"You don't have to stay any longer if you don't want to," Alex says, sensing the woman next to her has plans for the weekend.

"No - I do want to stay," the blonde responds before sighing, "But I promised my brother I'd look after my nephew this afternoon."

"I didn't realise you had a nephew," the brunette remarks, genuinely curious.

"Zeke Chapman," Piper voices, smiling while she stands up. "Don't ask me where Cal got the name from, but it strangely seems to suit him even though he's only just coming up to his first birthday."

"Zeke's a cool name," Alex replies, following the blonde as she picks up her empty plate and mug to take them into the kitchen. "I didn't see you as someone who liked kids," she adds in a questioning tone.

"I figured I should at least tolerate them if I eventually wanted to have any of my own in the future," the blonde responds, somewhat surprising the brunette at the sudden image of a pregnant Piper. "I'm really sorry to be rushing around like this," she adds, balancing on one foot while trying to put her shoes on.

"That's okay," Alex smiles, "I think I could use some alone time anyway."

"I'll see you on Monday?" Piper asks, having gathered her belongings by the front door, unsure how to navigate her departure.

"Bright and early," the brunette responds, pulling open the door handle.

Mirroring Alex's smile, Piper reaches over to pull the taller woman into a hug, hoping the brunette can't feel the increasing speed of her heart beat.

"Let me know how babysitting goes, Ms Chapman," Alex chuckles, pulling back from the hug while running her hands down the blonde's arms.

"That's if I make it out alive," the blonde jokes before leaving the brunette's apartment, unable to wipe the toothy smile from her face.

* * *

From where she's seated in her living room bouncing her nephew around in her arms, Piper's attention is grabbed by the vibration of her phone in her pocket.

With widening eyes, it's clear that the young boy too felt the vibrations, but instead on the bottom of his small sock-covered feet that're standing on the jeans covering his aunt's thighs. Piper chuckles at the image of the shocked boy before her, having to quickly remember that many of the objects in her home confuse her nephew; despite owning a house, Cal and Neri don't exactly carry out a mainstream lifestyle.

Although she's curious about the message on her phone, the blonde chastises herself for not turning off the device while spending time with her nephew. She'd been attempting to tire out the young boy for the last 30 minutes after he seemed to have a sudden burst of energy, and in seeing his eyes begin to close over, Piper inwardly chuckles, _I must be fun company_, she thinks to herself before pulling the younger boy into her chest for his comfort; the sleep-induced breathing against her collarbone proving to be a sign that she had finally succeeded.

Being that she herself hadn't got much sleep throughout the week, the blonde feels her own eyes begin to flutter closed, and it isn't until another hour later that she's woken up at the sound of her apartment buzzer ringing loudly. Rising to her feet - making sure to not wake her nephew as she carries his sleeping form, Piper lets the person up, knowing it will be either Cal or Neri coming to collect their son.

Heading over to open the front door, the blonde smiles when she sees her brother at her apartment door giving off - what looks like - a relieved smile at the sight of his son fast asleep.

"Hey there," Cal whispers, brushing back the hair on the sleeping boy's head. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, he was great. A little hard to get to sleep, but we made it eventually," Piper responds to her brother, kissing her nephew on the head before handing him over to his father.

"Thanks for watching him," Cal says, trying to carefully hold his son in his large hands without disturbing his sleeping state.

"Anytime. I enjoy looking after him," the blonde sincerely comments.

"I'll keep that in mind," the man chuckles while slowly shifting his weight. "I better head off before he wakes up. I'll call you tomorrow," he adds through a whisper.

"Alright. Let me know when you get home," Piper responds as she waves goodbye and eventually closes over the door once her brother and nephew are out of sight.

Still feeling overwhelmingly tired, the blonde locks the front door before wandering through the lower floor of her apartment to turn off any necessary appliances and lights. By the time she reaches her bedroom upstairs, she feels her phone vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. Reaching for the device, she sees a text message from her brother letting her know that they'd made it home safely and that her nephew had survived the journey without waking up. However, as her eyes scan the other notifications on her lock screen, her heart clenches as she sees a message she had received from Alex over an hour ago - instantly remembering feeling her device vibrate before she'd fallen asleep on the living room sofa earlier that evening.

_Alex: Thank you for last night. I don't know if I really got that message across, but I appreciated it. _

Biting down on her lower lip as she stares at her phone, Piper opens the message to respond, hoping the brunette will take the bait.

_Piper: I think I know how you can show me your appreciation…_

_Piper: Go out with me. _

Letting out a heavy breath at the sudden thrill she has coursing through her body, Piper is surprisingly thrilled at the rapid response she receives.

_Alex: Are you asking me or telling me to?_

Smirking to herself at the brunette's classic reply, the blonde returns to the keyboard on screen.

_Piper: Asking… will you let me take you out, Alex._

_Alex: I'll have to think about it._

_Alex: Thought about it…_

_Alex: Yes - you can. _

Chuckling to herself at the imagery of Alex typing out these messages on her end, Piper again finds herself smiling, all of a sudden looking forward to the up-and-coming week.

_Piper: See you Monday then, Al._

_Alex: Goodnight, Ms Chapman._

Placing her phone down onto her nightstand, Piper proceeds to get ready for bed, finding her focus wavering in thought of how she's going to impress Alex.


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't really like the number 13, but number 11 is my favourite... why not meet in the middle?**

* * *

"How did you find this place?" Alex asks from across where she's seated at the small, wooden table.

"Polly recommended it. She'd been here with her fiancé a few months ago and liked how private it was," Piper replies after taking a sip from her glass of rosé.

"You've told your friends about this?" the brunette probes, watching the swirling contents of the blonde's glass.

"I haven't told my friends about you - emphasis on the use of plurality," Piper reveals, placing her wine glass back down onto the table. "I told my best friend, Polly, but don't worry, she won't tell anyone."

"What exactly did you tell her?"

"I told her I had a date with someone from work."

"I don't think I classify as being from work. We don't _work_ together," Alex says, running the pad of her index finger around the rim of her own wine glass.

"You know what I mean," Piper turns her head to the side. "I told her we didn't want to go anywhere with a high chance of being seen together and so here we are." Reaching across the table, the blonde places her right hand over the brunette's left that rests flatly on the table. "There's nothing to worry about, Al. For all anyone knows, we're just two friends having dinner."

"I know," Alex says, lowering her head. "I just don't want to fuck up."

"This won't affect your job, Alex," Piper comments, squeezing the brunette's hand. "I won't let that happen."

"I know," Alex repeats, yet her following sentence is squandered as their waiter arrives with their food, causing Piper to pull back, retreating her hand back to her side of the table.

The rest of their dinner passes by smoothly, and if it weren't already evident for both parties, it only goes to solidify the budding chemistry growing between the two women.

"You didn't have to foot the bill," Alex says as they depart the restaurant walking closely together. "I wouldn't have minded splitting."

"I asked you out on a date, Alex. I wasn't going to let you pay."

"Oh so this _was_ a date," the brunette smiles, her voice rising as though she'd solved a puzzle.

"If you didn't realise this was a date then I think I underestimated your intellect," Piper says, turning to look into Alex's green eyes, replicating her smile.

"Well I always was the smartest in my class," the taller woman jokes, in which the blonde doesn't offer a verbal response - instead choosing to push the brunette lightly on her upper arm.

"Isn't that the way to yours?" Alex goes on to ask, pointing at the side road on the right hand side of the street.

"Yes, it is," Piper says nonchalantly. "But I'm walking you home."

"Oh no you're not," the brunette chuckles, placing a hand onto the smaller woman's lower back. "I'm serious. You live closer and you have a busy week."

"Way to ruin my grand romantic gesture," the blonde huffs out reaching a hand behind her back to intertwine their fingers and pull their arms to the side so that they're now holding hands in the middle space between their bodies. "If anyone asks, you're only protecting me from the bag guys," the blonde bites down on her lower lip, knowing she's gained one up on the brunette.

"You not coming inside?" Piper asks when they eventually reach her apartment building.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Alex smirks, not knowing if she'll be able to trust herself if she goes into the blonde's apartment.

"At least walk me up?"

"Only to make sure no one attacks you," the brunette smirks, letting Piper drag her through the building's lobby, but her eyes roll back when she observes the blonde diverting their normal route towards the door leading to the building's main staircase rather than the elevator.

"What're you doing? You live in the fucking penthouse," Alex moans as they start to ascend the staircase, but her focus immediately zones out when she's given the view of Piper's ass in the red dress she had worn that evening - a view she hadn't been able to appreciate throughout their meal.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?" the brunette hums, snapping her head back up to the blonde's eyes.

"Like what you see?" Piper flirts, slowing down the pace of her walking strides so that Alex can catch up with her.

"You could say that," the taller woman smiles, but it's soon wiped from her face when - upon reaching a flat level at the top of a level of stairs - she's pulled into the blonde's body from where she'd positioned herself against the wall.

"We wouldn't want you to only be able to look from afar, would we?" Piper voices, grabbing both of Alex's hands while she arches her back forwards. "How's this for you?" she asks, placing the brunette's hands around her back and onto her ass, keeping her own hands on top to prevent Alex from pulling away.

Closing her eyes over, Alex has to fight back the urge to give into her temptations right in the stairway of Piper's apartment building, however in the compromising position she's managed to find herself in, she notes the more appropriate thing to do would be to just kiss the blonde - or at least that's what she tells herself.

Piper smiles into the kiss as she swallows down Alex's groan courtesy of her hands squeezing the blonde's ass, and the exchange quickly grows in messiness as Piper pushes herself off the flat wall to begin to take the rest of the stairs up to her top floor apartment.

In what took a lot longer than it normally would have, the women eventually reach the blonde's home, both panting messes.

"Mmm wait," Alex says as she feels Piper back her against the front door so that she can try and open the wooden barrier.

"Stay still," the blonde grumbles back - her hand trying to blindly find the keyhole, all the while making that demand practically impossible as her lips remain locked with the taller woman's.

"Let me," Alex says, finding Piper's wandering hand in her own and grabbing the key in her hand.

Surprisingly, the brunette manages to pull back from the blonde's hold and turn around to open the door. Of course, Piper doesn't make the task an easy one; the feel of the blonde's arms wrapping around her stomach - fingers running along the surface of her dress - doesn't help to render Alex's concentration.

Finally opening the door, Alex places her hands over the ones wrapped around her frame and switches their positions.

"Here's where tonight's journey terminates."

"Come on, Al. I have coffee," Piper tries to persuade the taller woman, running her hands down her chest to rest on her breasts.

"I have coffee at home too," Alex smirks, leaning forward to give the blonde a kiss on her lips. "I like saving the good stuff for after the first date."

"This is after the first date," Piper tries to counter argue, despite knowing Alex isn't going to give in.

"I want to as much as you do, but not when you've got to be up at 5am, Ms Chapman, meaning I have to be up at 4am."

"So another time then?" the blonde asks, moving her hands up onto the taller woman's shoulders, playing with the tips of hair brushing against her knuckles.

"Another time. And I'm paying," Alex smiles.

"Sure," Piper kisses the brunette's cheek before pulling back entirely. "Now go before I do something that'll make us both late tomorrow morning."

"I might even treat myself to an elevator ride," Alex smiles, stepping backwards.

"That isn't the only ride you could treat yourself to," Piper says, biting down on her lip from where she's leaning against the front door frame.

"Yeah, I know," the brunette says expertly through a close lipped smile, continually walking backwards until she reaches the elevator, presses the button, and steps in.

Closing her front door over, Piper rests her weight against the wood, smiling into the ceiling at how promising their first date had been.

* * *

Throughout the coming week, Piper finds herself overwhelmed with stress as the climax of her court case commences. Publicity regarding the case - not so much her as an individual - grew over time, yet as she finally walks out of the courtroom having done her bit for the ongoing case, the blonde is all smiles as the cameras aim her way.

She gives the reporters a brief synopsis of her hopes for the trial, all the while firmly refusing to comment on the niche details that she's forbidden to share publicly. After politely bringing an end to her interviews, Piper smiles when she sees Alex standing by the back door of her car, waiting for her to walk over. Initially, the blonde wondered why the brunette wasn't present as she was escorted out of the courthouse, but in seeing her smug face from afar, that question no longer seemed to matter.

"Ms Chapman," Alex greets, opening the door of the Jeep before following the blonde's lead into the back seat.

"Thanks," the blonde smiles over at the brunette - trying hard to not hold their eye contact for too long - before turning back forward to converse with her driver.

As per her conversation with Alex and her boss over a week prior, Piper had been required to stay in a nearby hotel, and although it now wasn't entirely necessary given the blonde's contribution in the courtroom went by a lot smoother and quicker than anticipated, she wasn't complaining. Despite not having had the chance to verbally discuss it, she's sure the tall woman seated to her right secretly feels the same way.

Since their first date, the atmosphere between the two felt somewhat different. Not a bad or awkward different, just a sense that the pair were becoming more and more acclimatised towards one another - something the blonde valued as a positive. Piper often found herself magnitised to Alex's presence whenever they were together, and despite the busyness of the week following their dinner together, it didn't stop the blonde from attempting to make her taller counterpart crack in a professional setting.

Similarly to the first time the pair had stayed in a hotel, a door located in the middle of both of their rooms was present in the lounge section as a safety precaution, and although the thought of what had happened the last time herself and Alex had stayed in a setting as such held negative connotations for the blonde, she soon hoped that would change.

"I'm right next door if you need anything," Alex says as she stands at the front of Piper's hotel room, her small suitcase in tow.

"Got it," Piper smiles from where her side is leaning against the door. "Thanks, Alex."

Receiving a final smile, the blonde watches Alex move to the left and disappear into her own identical hotel suite.

Finally feeling relieved to have gotten through the most stressful part of assisting a law case, Piper finds herself wondering what to do with herself. She orders room service, and after being told the wait could be up to an hour, she decides to shower and shave - her self-care being something that essentially went out the window throughout the course of the week.

After eating and drying her hair, the blonde finds herself sitting up in bed watching television. Her mind often drifts to what Alex may be doing on the other side of the door splitting them and whether it would be a wise idea to ask if she wanted any company. The idea is something Piper subconsciously finds her mind drifting towards; although the blonde herself had a busy week, Alex was present during all working hours and arguably needed to be more focused than normal. She uses this argument as a basis for not knocking on the door separating their rooms, but a burning thought emerging to the forefront of her mind tells her that the brunette too is bored out of her mind, and being that it's only 10pm, she's also finding that the selection of television on a Thursday isn't at all entertaining.

Running a hand through her hair, Piper closes over her eyes as she internally debates with herself what to do; she wants to see the taller woman, and knowing that only a door separates them is driving her crazy. Images of Alex in a similar state as her own is what overrides her moral judgement, so in true Chapman style, the blonde tidies up and puts away the evidence of the dinner she had ordered before giving room a once over - she doesn't want Alex to judge the state of her surroundings despite the fact that she's been inside her home more times than she can count.

Walking through to the lounge area of her hotel suite, Piper pauses in front of the wooden door, giving herself one last chance to back out. Letting out a deep breath, she reaches for the door handle and slowly pushes down, pulling the door open as quietly as she can.

In any other circumstance, the blonde would have shat herself on the spot; however, the image of Alex standing before her with her own arm extended towards the door handle is something that renders her speechless. As imagined, the brunette is wearing an old white t-shirt and a black pair of night shorts with loose hair - a sign that Piper's intuition as to what the other woman was doing was somewhat accurate. Her body seems to have frozen in place - almost as though she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't be; and although the motive for both women is indeed something they shouldn't be doing - red flags for the world of professionalism and code violations, neither seemed to care at this moment in time.

"Hi," Piper finally voices, her voice quiet.

"Hey," Alex replies, bringing her right arm back to her side.

"What're you-" both women begin at the same time, again bringing around another bout of silence as they both pause to allow the other to speak.

"Is everything okay?" Alex asks, having to take this as a matter of security above anything else despite sensing it isn't.

"I guess," Piper begins before tilting her head to the side. "I could ask you the same thing," she adds, her vision glancing down to the brunette's hand now resting by her side - a clear indication that she knew she'd beaten the taller woman to opening the door.

A silence yet again falls over the two women; Piper wonders what Alex's next move is going to be - she seems to be deep in troubled thought, and before the blonde can act on anything, it's clear that the woman before her wanted to beat her to the task at hand this time around, especially as she steps forward into the threshold of the blonde's room and pulls her into a fevered kiss.

Despite her surprise at the taller woman's forwardness, Piper welcomes the contact; as she feels Alex's hands run through her loose, blonde hair, she places her own hands on the brunette's sides, gripping the material of her t-shirt.

It immediately becomes apparent to the blonde that - like herself - Alex can't seem to take the sexual tension that had been building since their very first kiss - well- if she's being honest with herself, since they'd first met.

Pulling their bodies closer together using the grip she has on the brunette's t-shirt, Piper hears the sound of the door closing over - a sign that Alex had pushed it shut with her foot, before she assists their movements in beginning to walk backwards. By the time they reach her bedroom, they pull away from one another, pausing at the end of the bed.

"You sure?" Alex asks, hoping she wasn't being too forward.

"Yes," Piper immediately pants out, not giving the taller woman another second to respond before lunging forwards, reclaiming their lips, except this time running her hands up the back of Alex's t-shirt.

In a similar fashion, the brunette grips at the blonde's t-shirt and pulls away, allowing both her own and Piper's garments to be pulled up and removed.

"Nice try," Alex comments before regaining her dominance and guiding Piper to the end of the bed, pushing her down so that her head lands on a pillow.

She takes this moment to look at the blonde below her: her hair is splayed out against the pillow; her neck has a reddening blush; her chest rises along with her increased breathing pattern, and her toned abdominal region proves to make the brunette's mouth water more than it already currently is.

Alex notes Piper's eyes doing some scanning of her own, and deciding to quicken the process, she takes off her shorts, leaving her in her bra and underwear at the foot of the bed. That doesn't last too long, however, as Alex eventually moves onto the bed, settling her weight on top of the woman below her.

Both of their bras are thrown off in a passionate haze, and when the blonde feels Alex's hands begin to pull down her night shorts, she bites down on her lower lip to hide a smirk, awaiting the brunette's reaction.

She wasn't wrong as she watches Alex's eyebrows raise and an amused smile adorn her lips.

"Underwear too formal for you?" she asks, pulling the shorts off the blonde's legs entirely to reveal her commando state, before throwing them onto the growing pile of clothes on the floor

"Easier access," Piper smirks, pulling the brunette's body back on top of hers, moaning at the feel of their naked breasts coming into contact for the first time.

Placing her hands down on Alex's ass and squeezing the skin, Piper clenches her jaw out of desire, which soon turns into tilting her head back with closed eyes as she feels the taller woman's lips begin to kiss along her neck.

It's clear in this moment that Alex is very experienced in what she's doing - if she didn't already know that from some of the things she had heard, but when Piper gains the courage to pull down the brunette's underwear to that they're in the same state of nakedness, she feels as though a shift in dominance begins to prevail, regardless of experience.

Placing her hands back onto the brunette's ass, Piper flips them over so that she's now straddling Alex's stomach - both women letting out moans at the feel of the blonde's wetness against the brunette's impressively toned stomach.

"Fuck, Alex," Piper groans out, taken back by the overwhelming contact between her most intimate region and the muscular surface below her.

Feeling Alex place her hands on her waist, Piper's hips jut forward - a sign that she knows she isn't going to last very long, so in knowing how she'd always envisioned this panning out, the blonde places her hands on Alex's breasts and pushes her hips down her stomach, leaving a trail of her wetness behind.

Finally reaching the space between Alex's legs, Piper's eyes admire the sight of the brunette's clean-shaven - yet evidently wet - centre, before looking up for a sign of confirmation. Instead feeling the grip on her hips tighten out of reassurance, the blonde gets the answer she was seeking and so decides to go forward with her plan. Making sure Alex's legs are spread wide enough, she connects their centres, both heads flying back at the contact.

The room is soon filled with loud panting and a spell of profanities falling from each woman's lips; it's clear that despite the more so rushed nature of the exchange, both women are quickly reaching their peak.

"God, Alex," Piper groans into the ceiling as she feels a set of hands reach up to roughly grab her breasts.

"Keep going," the brunette pants out - as if the blonde had even thought of doing such a thing.

"I'm gonna cum soon," Piper voices between moans.

"Me too," Alex responds, feeling the speed in the blonde's hips start to increase.

The sound of the brunette's grumbling moans is what begins to help Piper reach her great decent, but it turns out to be something unexpected that triggers her release - an underlying sound that she'd forever been craving to hear.

"Oh fuck, Piper, I'm cumming!" Alex shouts out, her fingernails digging into the blonde's hips, and as soon as she hears it, Piper also explodes, likewise announcing the arrival of her long-awaited climax.

With her body collapsing on top of Alex's - their sweaty skin combining, Piper lets heavy, panting breaths out onto the skin of the brunette's neck as she recovers. She feels Alex's hands run up her back in a soothing manner, and when she finally feels ready, Piper pulls her face back to establish some form of eye contact.

"Hi," Alex says, initiating an exchange similar to the one by their adjoining door just over an hour ago.

"Hey," Piper mimics, smiling at the woman below her.

"Good thing you aren't all talk," the brunette smiles, still sounding flustered.

"Oh, I knew you weren't all talk," Piper chuckles before running her right index finger over the brunette's slightly swollen bottom lip. "You said my name," she announces, trying to not sound smug.

"Does that bother you?" Alex asks, already knowing it was a pointless question to be asking.

"If anything, I think you should never say it again or I might combust on the spot."

"Is that so, _Piper_?" the dark-haired woman says, placing an emphasis on the blonde's name.

"Al-" Piper warns, feeling her arousal start to grow again.

"I'll tell you what, Piper," Alex begins, placing her arms onto the blonde's biceps and rolling them over, taking back her spot on top. "I'm going to fuck you so hard that you won't even be able to remember your own name, nevermind worry about me saying it… _Piper_," she adds, whispering the last part against the blonde's lips whose body acts with a mind of its own, reconnecting their lips as evidence to prove that their night is far from over.


	13. Chapter 13

Throughout the coming weeks, neither woman can get enough of each other. Of course, they're forced to be in one another's presence considering the fact that they currently work together, but it's the moments in between where they try their best to make time for themselves.

Since that first night in the blonde's hotel room nearly a month ago, it became evident that it was only the first of many times in which the pair's relationship would completely surpass its professional boundary. From sneaking into the brunette's car to doing more than just searching the blonde's apartment to carrying out what can only be dubbed as 'overtime'; the pair have been - what can only modestly be described as - _particularly active_.

From where she's currently standing under the spray of her shower - letting the water dampen her blonde hair, Piper can't help but allow all thoughts of the week's past activities run through to the forefront of her mind. A smile covers her lips as she lets out a light chuckle, unable to stop herself from reliving some of the more _entertaining_ encounters that had taken place.

* * *

_"Don't do that," Alex grunts out through clenched teeth, trying to work efficiently with the limited time and space they currently have available._

_"Don't do what?" Piper asks, tilting her head back to allow more room for the brunette's mouth to work on her neck as the hand positioned down the front of her unbuttoned, black office trousers moves rhythmically._

_"That clenching thing you do to delay your orgasm," the dark-haired woman explains, attempting to move her fingers at a quicker rate despite the tightness of the front of the blonde's trousers._

_"I do not do that," Piper says loudly, sounding offended by the taller woman's comment._

_"It's been 15 minutes, Pipes. How else are you going to explain lasting this long?" Alex asks in a sarcastic tone, highlighting the rapid manner in which the blonde woman - who is currently being held up against the wall in the janitor's closet - normally falls apart._

_"Okay, maybe I just like the feeling of being fucked by you," she attempts to explain, but her voice tappers out into a high-pitched moan as she feels the brunette's free hand land on her breast, squeezing roughly._

_"You have all the time in the world to take in the feeling," Alex begins, moving her mouth from the blonde's neck to whisper against her swollen lips. "But now isn't the best choice," she concludes, before retracting her hand and roughly turning Piper around so that her front is against the wall._

_"Jesus, Alex," she grunts out at the unexpected manoeuvre while placing her flat palms onto the wall for some form of support._

_The brunette, meanwhile, wraps one hand around Piper's front to return it back into her trousers, slipping into her underwear, while the other grips onto the blonde's waist, fingers clenching around the material of her half unbuttoned white shirt._

_"Shut up," the brunette groans out into Piper's ear, sensing that her earlier request has been taken on board by the smaller woman at the feel of her loosened body._

_As the speed of Alex's right hand increases, Piper reaches back her hands to hold onto the brunette's waist, gripping tightly as a sign that she's quickly approaching her peak._

_Despite the government office-based building being the blonde's place of work - whereby she's meant to be working in her office as we speak, the pair couldn't fight the urge to take advantage of the free room in which the absent janitor wasn't using. Piper had overheard that the long-serving employee had called in sick that morning, and in practically dragging Alex into the room - making the dark-haired woman believe something was genuinely wrong, it soon became evident what the blonde's intentions were._

_"I'm gonna cum," the blonde announces, throwing her head back so that it's resting on the taller woman's shoulder._

_"Shh," Alex voices, attempting to silence the woman before her, but as Piper's moaning seems to grow out of control, the brunette reaches her left hand up to cover the blonde's mouth, hoping that she isn't bitten in the process._

_Piper, however, finds the gesture even more of a turn on, and no more than a few seconds later does she find herself crumbling with her back against Alex's front, trying desperately to not prevent the brunette muffling the sounds of her orgasm and give away their cover._

_It's only until Alex removes her hand from Piper's mouth that Piper feels as though she can really breathe. She slumps forward, her forehead resting against the wall in front of her._

_"Fuck," she finally voices, breaking the silence that had filled the small, dark room._

_"Fuck is right," Alex responds while carefully pulling her right hand out of the blonde's trousers before stepping back to allow Piper to turn back around._

_"You're not half bad at that," the blonde comments, letting out a toothy smile._

_"I've been told," Alex shrugs, and if it weren't for the fact that the room was so dark, the jealousy covering the blonde's face would have been particularly evident. "We should get going," the brunette adds, stretching out her hand that had been working its magic at an awkward angle, before turning around to pick up her blazer that was resting on a broken chair in the corner of the room._

_"What the fuck, Alex?" Piper's voice echoes throughout the room, anger being carried in her tone._

_"What?" the brunette turns back around, not knowing what she could have possibly done wrong in the few seconds she had turned to collect her clothing._

_"My shirt," the blonde points out, the lighting from the hall outside the only thing allowing Alex to see what she's alluding to. "It's fucking ripped," she adds, holding the edges of the white garment that has several buttons missing and holds a fashionable rip down in the left side where Alex had been holding her waist._

_"Shit," Alex says, eyes widening._

_"I have a conference meeting in an hour," Piper exclaims, suddenly finding herself in a state of panic._

_"Here: take mine," the brunette offers, moving her fingers to unbutton her own white shirt. "It'll be a bit big, but you can just tuck it in," she says, handing the garment over to the blonde in front of her._

_"What're you gonna wear?" Piper asks, holding the white shirt in her hand._

_"Yours," Alex states, almost as though it's the most obvious answer in the world. "It'll be a tighter fit than what I'm used to, but my blazer will cover up the missing buttons and the rip."_

_"Thank you," Piper smiles, taking off what's left of her shirt and handing it to the taller woman._

_"Anytime," the brunette chuckles, hoping no one does in fact notice her slight change in attire._

_"Well I should hope that this doesn't happen at any other time," Piper comments, finishing up with the last few buttons._

_"What can I say?" Alex asks, having put her blazer on over her new shirt. "You have that effect on me." _

* * *

_From where she's seated in her all too familiar meeting chair, Piper - in an all too familiar fashion - finds her attention wavering from the presentation about federal justice and policing. She has to fight hard to prevent a smile from crossing her features as her vision falls on the image of Alex standing in her normal position just outside the glass-covered room, whereby her body is sideways on so that she can see both into the room and at whoever is coming up the nearby escalator._

_What Piper particularly doesn't fail to notice is the way in which Alex is squirming on the spot as she stands with her hands in front of her body, right hand covering her left wrist. She seems as though her thoughts are elsewhere, and as the blonde slyly reaches into her blazer pocket, using her thumb to press a button on the small remote resting in the otherwise empty space, she doesn't have to pretend she doesn't know where Alex's head is currently at._

_She observes the tall woman's head immediately fly to the side so that their eyes are now connected, and in seeing her eyes widen - almost as though offering a warning, Piper brings her hand back out of her pocket, resting it on her thigh under the table._

_Alex, meanwhile, attempts to allow her body to adjust to the increased vibrating sensation wrecking her lower half, but she tends to find that no matter how many times she moves her legs, shifting her weight as she alternates the way in which her feet cross over at the ankle, it doesn't seem to help with satisfying the aching sensation coursing through her body._

_Smirking slightly as she watches Alex squirm from where she's seated, Piper's curiosity piques when she sees the brunette in question start speaking to someone - the contents of their conversation she's unsure of, before walking from the place in which she's positioned so that she's now out of view. Unsure as to where Alex has gone - especially as her place is taken by a younger male who she had just been talking to, Piper's attention turns back to the person talking at the front of the room._

_It's another 10 minutes or so until Alex returns, and although Piper feels a thrill shoot through her body, when she goes to slip her hand into her blazer pocket and again alter the speed on the small remote situated in there, the sight of an undeterred Alex isn't what she had expected. The brunette, sensing the blonde's eyes on her, returns to stand professionally in her regular space, before turning her head to create eye connection. She winks at the blonde in a knowing manner before facing back forwards, knowing she'd won this time around._

_Piper can only guess what had happened in the minutes in which the tall woman had been absent, and it wasn't until they were once again alone in her office several hours later that she eventually found out. _

_"Nice try, kid," Alex says, walking over to the blonde's desk and pulling out the lacy garment from her blazer pocket, placing it down onto the wooden surface._

_Picking up the piece of underwear and rubbing the material between her fingers, Piper looks towards the front of Alex's trousers before looking back up into her green eyes._

_"So what's going on down there then?" the blonde asks, biting down on her lower lip at the thought of Alex's in commando state._

_"I couldn't wear them any longer," Alex chuckles as she watches Piper round her desk and stand in the space before her._

_"Although you lost the bet and promised to wear them," the blonde begins, pushing the black garment into the brunette's pocket, "I'm not going to complain about the easy access," she concludes, both hands gravitating to the front of the taller woman's trousers, slowly fiddling with the zipper that's poking out. _

* * *

Quickly snapping back into reality when she realises she's still standing under the flow of the showerhead, Piper turns off the faucet, gets out of the shower, and wraps a towel around her body. She's aware of the fact that Alex is in her bedroom, and as it's likely the other woman is in bed on the brink of falling asleep, the blonde doesn't want to disturb her knowing how gruelling it must be to work the demanding hours that she does.

Upon eventually leaving the bathroom, Piper's attention is drawn to a very much so awake Alex sitting up against the headboard; the two lamps on each nightstand either side of the bed provide the room with light, which further allows the sight of the brunette's lit-up phone screen to reflect against the black t-shirt she's currently wearing.

"Everything okay?" Piper asks as she walks further into the room and towards the end of the bed to pick up her underwear.

"I need to tell you something," is all Alex responds, sounding serious, yet remains in a stationary, upright position.

As she stands in nothing but a towel - damp hair leaving travelling water droplets across her collarbones, the blonde isn't too sure how ready she is to hear what it is the woman in her bed has to say next, and as she watches Alex slide her glasses up into her hair while delivering a sigh, Piper wishes she had just stayed in the shower.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry. I know it's been a while, but I became too occupied by my thoughts over the end of season 7 to even think about writing for any of my current stories. While I'm writing my post-season 7 story (_The Detour_ for anyone curious), this is definitely one I will strive to finish... eventually. **

**Please let me know what you think in the comments. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Alright," Piper says hesitantly. "What is it?"

"You might want to get yourself dressed first," the brunette says, eyes flicking to the blonde's figure in her towel - an indication that whatever she has to say isn't just going to be a quick comment.

"Can't you just tell me now?" Piper asks, pulling her underwear on under her towel before grabbing her night shorts. "You brought it up."

"I know I did," Alex responds, seeming visibly disturbed at the thought of sharing whatever news she has. "But I also should have waited until you finished getting ready before bringing it up," she adds, leaning to the right and placing her iPhone down onto the table. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," the blonde utters, turning around to prevent the dark-haired woman from seeing the anxious look that suddenly washed upon her. "I'll be right back," she goes on to say, heading back into the bathroom to get changed.

It's another few moments before Piper reappears from the bathroom that's filled with warm steam, whereby Alex is now lying on her side under the covers facing the door with a smile on her face.

"Ready?" the brunette asks, seeing the woman before her now dressed in a pair of grey, laced shorts and a matching tank top.

"My hair's still wet," Piper deadpans, before walking towards where she had left the hairdryer and turning it on.

She can feel Alex's burning gaze on her body as she dries her wet, blonde hair, and although she normally loves the fact that the brunette's eyes always seem to gravitate her way, the worry as to what Alex is going to reveal trumps any feeling of desire for the woman lying in her bed.

As much as Piper tries to draw out the process, she eventually reaches the stage in which her hair is fully dry, and in knowing Alex is aware of that fact, the blonde forces herself to turn off the drying device and move to get into the bed.

She turns to her right so that she's now mirroring Alex's position, and although the taller woman is giving off a close-lipped smile, Piper can't find the motivation to return the gesture.

"Hi," the brunette begins, sensing that the woman opposite her is acting strangely.

"What did you want to tell me?" Piper blurts out, internally scalding her inability to keep her thoughts in her head, and immediately feeling guilty as she observes the harsh clenching notion of Alex's jaw.

"I'm being moved to a different case."

"What? They can't do that," the blonde says, her eyes widening.

"Oh but they can - and they are."

"Do I not get a say in this?"

"The case I'm moving to is high profile. Well, I don't know every detail, but a lot of top dogs from work are involved… it's pretty serious."

"When did you find this out?" Piper asks, trying not to let her temper get the better of her.

"At the start of the week. My boss called when you were in the shower to confirm. He initially wanted to meet me at my place but he thinks I'm staying at my Mom's this evening."

Piper, unsure as to how she should be acting, breaks their eye contact and rolls onto her back where she's now staring up at the ceiling.

"This isn't the end of the world. My contract with you is up soon anyway, so it's not a major surprise," Alex begins, trying to lessen the tense atmosphere that's suddenly beginning to increase.

"So this doesn't bother you?" the blonde asks, keeping her eyes trained on the white ceiling.

"I'm used to changing work assignments throughout the year - that part I'm okay with. It's the travel I'm not so keen about," Alex admits sincerely, trying to ensure her tone of voice remains level-headed.

"What do you mean travel? What're you talking about?" Piper asks, sitting up while her head turns back to look into Alex's green eyes for an explanation.

"The job… the new job... it's…"

"Just fucking spit it out already, Alex," the blonde demands, not satisfied with Alex's sudden nervous stuttering.

"It's in Ohio."

"Ohio!" Piper says bad loudly, as though the brunette's revelation needed any form of confirmation. "As in a near 10 hour away drive away, Ohio?"

"Piper-" Alex begins, reaching forward to grab the smaller woman's waving hand, understanding why she is mad, but failing to catch it in time. "Look, I know you don't like it, but it's my job. I don't get to decide where it is, I just have to be there."

"When do you leave?" the blonde asks, her tone of voice lowering into quieter territory.

"Monday."

"Today's Friday. That's in three days," Piper deadpans, her statement pointing out the obvious as well as several underlying factors.

"I know it is and I'm sorry I couldn't have told you sooner."

Turning away from the dark-haired woman while performing a sigh, the blonde raises her knees and lowers her head, using her hands to cover her face. Alex watches carefully at the clearly distressed woman next to her; she knew Piper wouldn't take the news lightly, but she didn't realise she'd react _this_ badly. Once she sees her shoulders rising and lowering with an increasing pace, Alex soon realises that the blonde-haired woman is crying.

"Come on, Piper. This doesn't change anything," she begins, also sitting up so that she can shuffle closer.

"This changes everything, Alex," the blonde responds, removing her hands from her face and turning to look at the woman now seated next to her. "Because who's going to be here to ask how my day's been? Who's going to make me smile every time they say hello? Who's going to make me feel less lonely?"

Alex's heart drops at the sight of the woman before her. The all-powerful Piper Chapman, vulnerable with her loose hair resting just below her shoulders, cheeks wet from tears, eyes a piercing blue from their watery surface. This version of Piper is unrecognisable; the Piper who played every trick in the book to lure Alex into her web is nowhere to be found, as despite the fact that the brunette notes she's as beautiful as ever, she can't help but feel for the fragile woman.

In her stunned state, the brunette fails to provide a response - unsure what she could even do in her power to console the broken blonde.

Piper, meanwhile, feels heartbroken at the sight before her. Heartbroken at the thought of returning to being alone; heartbroken at the thought of being away from Alex; heartbroken at the fact that despite her visibly disturbed state, Alex isn't doing a damn thing about it.

"Did you even get the choice to stay here?" the blonde asks, a sudden thought crossing her mind.

"I'm not going to sit here and lie to you," Alex begins, running a hand through her hair. "It wasn't something I could turn down."

"So you didn't even think about the consequences of your actions?"

"This is my career, Piper. It's important to me."

"I'm glad something in your life is important to you," the blonde comments sarcastically, no longer wanting to be in the brunette's presence.

"Piper," Alex warns, reaching out a hand and this time managing to capture her counterpart's wrist. "Don't do this. We'll work it out. We have a few days to talk."

"What exactly are we working out Alex? You haven't exactly made that clear?" the blonde asks sarcastically. "When I'm next available for a booty call? That's if that's even _important_ to you."

"What the fuck, Piper?" Alex retaliates, the intonation in her voice rising. "I put my job on the line for you and that's the kind of shit you're going to accuse me of?"

"I'm right though, aren't I? We've fucked, Alex. Many times. It obviously meant nothing more than that to you if you willingly chose to move rather than stay here in the blink of an eye."

Thrown off guard by the blonde's last comment, the brunette pauses, not having expected the topic to be brought up - not tonight at least.

Scoffing out a breath through her nose, Piper lowers her head.

"Get out."

"Pi-"

"I mean it, Alex," the blonde begins. "Get the fuck out."

Piper couldn't even tell you the events that took place after she uttered that sentence; how long Alex stayed until her form eventually retreated? Whether the brunette offered any last words? What she can tell you, however, is that she's used to it. Used to being everyone's second pick - whether that being from past experience with her friends, family, or even love life, what Piper Chapman sure as hell can tell you is that no matter how hard she tries, she can never get anyone to stay.

* * *

**PS: I'm sorry this was so short, but I felt a spontaneous bout of inspiration and wanted to get it out there before I changed my mind. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's a double update, so check out Chapter 14 if you haven't done so already.**

**This probably isn't the turn most people want, but I want to try and challenge myself in terms of how I write and structure a story plot without being predictable and unoriginal. I'm not too sure where I'm taking this entirely as this plot has been a recent thought, so let me know if you have any burning thoughts. **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

No matter how hard she tries, Piper can't seem to avoid Alex's burning gaze. She's been in a meeting for the past hour, and although she forces herself to listen and give her full attention to the woman talking at the front, her peripheral vision seems to have a habit of betraying her. The blonde doesn't often find herself working on Saturdays, but with some unexpected complications occurring with the court case she's working on, she was called into work early this morning. She's yet to talk to Alex about their argument the previous evening, and even though the tension between them could be cut like a knife, Piper can't bring herself to instigate the conversation. If she's being honest with herself, she doesn't know if she's even ready to have such a conversation, and in knowing it will only add to the foul mood she woke up with, the blonde wants to do everything she can to avoid losing her temper… while she's at work at least.

Once her meeting begins to come to a close, Piper is then faced with another dilemma: what's going to happen on her lunch break? A recent development between herself and Alex meant that they spent their time together when eating lunch; whether that meant walking to a local restaurant to eat out or eat sandwiches in Piper's office, the blonde hoped Alex wouldn't make things more awkwardly hostile than they already are between them.

She should have guessed that Alex wouldn't give in so easily; once Piper took a seat in her leather chair situated behind her desk in her office, the small, black chair placed on the other side of her wooden working space is also soon occupied.

"Did you want the chicken or the ham?" Alex asks, sounding nonchalant as she holds up two brown bags - a sign that she herself had gone to purchase them some lunch when she had a spare moment.

"Really?" the blonde says in an unimpressed manner.

"Is it a crime to offer you some lunch?" the brunette responds.

"What made you think I don't already have some in my bag."

"Considering we always eat lunch together and you never bring in your own, I'd take my chances. Plus," Alex begins, pondering what to say next, "I assumed you weren't exactly in the frame of mind to be thinking about packing food this morning…" she concludes, alluding to last night's events, yet leaving the floor open for Piper to continue.

"Can we not do this now? I'm at work, Alex. I'm busy."

"Oh, but you're not busy when you're dragging me into the storage cupboard?" the brunette says smugly, biting down on her tongue.

"You're really testing my patience right now, Alex."

"It's me in the wrong here, is it? Miss I'm going to ignore you whenever something doesn't go my way," Alex voices, her tone rising as she mimicks in a teasing fashion.

"So it's suddenly my fault for having feelings? Well, I'm sorry - how fucking rude of me," Piper says sarcastically, yet as she begins to feel her anger boiling, she turns to her laptop that's positioned at the side of the desk and begins typing into an email draft that she had previously left open.

Alex offers no verbal response, instead remaining seated with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm sorry about last night."

"Can we talk about something else please?" Piper immediately asks, pausing her racing fingers on her keyboard, in turn, filling the room with silence.

"We can't just pretend that it didn't happen," Alex voices, to which Piper removes her hands from her laptop and looks back up into the brunette's green eyes.

"I know that, but now isn't the time, Alex. I'm tired and I'm stressed and I'm angry and I'm upset," she pauses, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm upset that no one ever considers my feelings whenever anything is decided. It's always been that way and I can't really see it changing anytime soon."

"Piper, that's not what I'm-" Alex begins but it interrupted by the blonde.

"So if you're going to state you're different, then maybe consider the fact that I don't want to talk to you right now unless it's work related," she deadpans, hoping her message has gotten across.

"Of course," the brunette agrees, her voice quiet - a sign that she was taken back by what Piper had just said.

"Good," the blonde nods while standing up, giving a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Enjoy you lunch," she adds before rounding her desk, laptop in hand, and exits the office, leaving Alex alone in the same unmoved position.

The brunette contemplates what had just happened; turning around to check if Piper had really left, she hangs her head down, knowing that whatever was troubling the blonde was rooting from somewhere much deeper - something she wasn't too sure she'd ever find out about.

Placing the bag holding the chicken sandwich onto Piper's desk - the choice the blonde tends to regularly pick, Alex too moves to leave the room, knowing that if she wanted to really talk this out, it wouldn't be happening any time within the next few hours.

* * *

"It's been a pleasure, Ms Vause," Marcus - Piper's driver - says as he shakes the tall brunette's hand.

"Please, call me Alex," she smiles genuinely, "but I can't take all the credit. You're the one that takes us to all these places," she chuckles, whereby the smaller man joins in. "Make sure the next person keeps her in line," she whispers, not wanting Piper to hear from where she's still seated inside the back of the car.

"Of course. Are you sure you don't need a ride home after?" he asks, nodding towards Piper's apartment building that she's about to go in and check for the final time.

"That's alright. I have some errands to run around the area. I don't want to keep you waiting."

"If you say so," he waves, moving back from where he had gotten out to join Alex on the pavement back into the driver's seat of the car.

"You too," Alex responds while moving towards the back seat of the car and opening the door for Piper to get out - somewhat surprised she didn't refuse her services entirely.

The journey up into the blonde's apartment is quiet - not their usual conversation-filled debates about what had happened throughout their day or whatever series they should start on Netflix, just silence. Alex lets Piper hand over the front door keys and moves about the apartment, feeling strange about the entire encounter. Once finished, she sees the blonde standing by the front door looking down at her phone, and although a hint of a smile graces the brunette's lips at the memory of Piper's initial reluctance to listen to commands when they first started working together, that soon vanishes at the thought of what could happen next between them.

"You're all good," Alex says, breaking the silence.

"Thanks," Piper responds, not looking up from her phone but walking straight past the brunette and into the kitchen.

Letting out a sigh, the dark-haired woman follows, hoping she can spark some form of conversation.

"Piper," Alex begins, trying to get the blonde's attention but fails. "Piper!" she shouts, causing the other woman to turn around, her head darting up to connect their eyes.

"What?"

"Can you act like an adult and at least have a conversation with me?"

"I am having a conversation with you," the blonde says sarcastically - clearly in the mood to argue now that she's in the comfort of her own home with no one else to witness.

"Cut the shit. We need to talk about why you flipped out last night, and I'm going to stay here until I get good enough of an answer from you," Alex comments, folding her arms over against her chest, and if it weren't for the increasing tension, Piper wouldn't have been able to take her eyes away from the brunette's bulging biceps that are visible through her long-sleeved white shirt.

"What do you want me to say to you, Alex? You're the one who's chosen to take on this new job. Stop acting like I'm the one who's leaving."

"I get that you're upset about it, but-"

"Upset?" Piper exclaims, her eyebrows raising dramatically. "I'm more than upset, Alex. I'm fucking livid. I'm hurt. I thought you liked me - that whatever this is between us is more than just a forbidden fling."

"I do like you!" the brunette tries to defend herself.

"Not enough to at least give me some notice that you're leaving. Have you noticed how my life revolves around my work when I'm helping with a busy case? How I don't get around to seeing my friends as often as I'd like? How my family don't ever come to visit me? That's because nothing in my life flows. Yes, I have money and a good job and a nice apartment, but I just want someone to make me feel like a human every now and again. Not the stuck-up workaholic with issues."

"You know that I don't see you like that, Piper. You're so much more than that. You're smart, you're funny, you're thoughtful, and you're even a but scary sometimes," Alex adds, attempting to make the emotional woman before her at least crack a smile. "I get it - work is important for me too, but do you really think I would have let you stay at my apartment and tell you all of those stories about my past if you were just a fuck to me? What more can I do to show you that you mean more than that to me?"

"I just think we need some time to process this. _I_ need some time to process this. If you're always moving around and our lives are going to clash is it fair on either of us to get our hopes up about whatever this is?"

"Is that what you really want?" Alex asks, noting that the blonde's cheeks are wet with tears.

"I think it's for the best."

"What if you never fully process whatever it is you're thinking about? Are you willing to throw everything away because of this blip?"

"Only time will tell. And when that time comes, I'll let you know."

"So that's it then. You don't want us to have any form of contact or anything? Not even as friends?" the brunette asks, sounding desperate in her attempt to even throw about the concept of being friends - something both women knows has well and truly past them by.

"Not until I'm ready."

"And when is ready?"

"I don't know."

The women stand in the blonde's kitchen, eyes telling their own emotional stories, as the weight of their conversation settles upon them.

"I should go," the dark-haired woman says, not wanting to break down in front of Piper as she turns to leave.

"I'll walk you out," the blonde says, her voice rough with emotion.

"That's okay," Alex turns and holds out a hand. "I know my way. Take care, Ms Chapman," she concludes, a sombre, close-lipped smile on her face as she makes her way down the hallway and out the apartment, not looking back at the crying woman left behind.


	16. Chapter 16

**I know it's a short one, but I'm a bit busy at the minute as I'm away on holiday soon. **

**Nothing major happens here, but I feel like this is a nice sort of plateau for the next bit of plot. **

**Let me know what you think!**

**PS: to the person who left a lengthy review in Spanish... I have absolutely no idea what you said. I don't speak Spanish and Google translate wasn't much help, but I appreciate the incentive. I'm sure you said something nice. I think... **

* * *

Despite wanting nothing more than to be alone in her bedroom curled up under the duvet, Piper was faced with a visit from her best friend. Polly had called early on Sunday morning inviting the blonde for a coffee, however in hearing the emotional, barely audible, voice Piper was using, the blonde's friend changed plans and stated she's be over in 20.

It's now coming up to the later stages in the evening, and although the idea of talking to someone about her problems was something Piper initially didn't want to be doing, she eventually grew grateful for her best friend's company - something she had missed as her work schedule reached its peak over the last few weeks.

She's given the brunette a brief run down of what had happened between herself and Alex, and despite the fact that Polly knew her best friend was holding back, she didn't push for further information, deciding the blonde would tell all when she was ready. She knew Alex worked with her and that she was going away, and even though she knew about the major crush Piper had on Alex, Polly was unaware that the pair had been sleeping together despite the fact it was something she held her suspicions about.

The sound of someone knocking on the front door causes Piper to immediately spring up from her seat and move to open it.

"That must be Pete with the food," she says, knowing that Polly had asked her fiancé, to bring them some food and more alcohol, as well as the fact that someone had reached her door without being buzzed through - Polly had given the man the code to get through the building.

"That was impressive timing, even for you," Piper says as she opens the door, clearly not expecting who was currently standing on the other side.

"I didn't realise you were expecting me?" Alex responds, the comedic undertone of her comment missing from her tone of voice.

"What're you doing here?" the blonde asks, holding onto the front door for dear life as she tries to steady herself.

"I wanted to come and say goodbye. The way we left things yesterday I… it...-" she stutters, but the sound of something falling inside the apartment followed by the sound of a feminine scream disrupts her. "Sorry, I should have guessed you'd have company," Alex begins, feeling somewhat uneasy as to the fact that she could be interrupting something between Piper and another person - another female.

"My best friend invited herself over. We were waiting for our food to arrive," the blonde attempts to explain, letting the taller woman know why she had said what she did when the door opened.

The pair stand awkwardly for a few moments before Alex snaps back into what she was planning on doing.

"This is yours," she says, outstretching a hand that was by her side to hold up a white shirt. "I found it mixed in with my washing and assumed you'd want it back."

"Thanks," Piper mutters, opening the door wider to step closer and grab the item.

Alex, however, doesn't yet let go of the shirt and waits for the blonde's blue eyes to meet her own.

"I'm really sorry about everything, Piper."

"Alex-"

"No - let me do this," the brunette pleads, her unrelenting eyes not leaving the blonde's. "I know I dealt with this badly, but I don't want anything to change between us."

"Everything's going to change, Alex. Even you're not gullible enough to believe that it isn't."

"I should have spoken to you about changing cases as soon as I found out. I'm sorry."

"Why are you doing this now? You've had all week to talk to me yet choose the night before you're meant to be leaving."

"After all those things you said yesterday, Piper, I-" Alex begins to explain before pausing, dropping her hand back to her side, and turning her head to locate where the sound of footsteps is coming from.

"Fuck me! Why do you live so high up, Piper?" Pete's Australian accent rings down the corridor as he pants heavily. "Surely the elevator should work in a building like this," he complains - clearly not used to climbing the stairs up to Piper's home like Alex is.

"Gives you something to do other than sit on your ass all day," Piper jokes, watching the unimpressed man approach.

"Who do we have here?" he asks, seeing Alex standing opposite the blonde. .

"I'm Alex," the brunette says holding her hand out. "I'm head of Piper's security."

"_Was_ the head of my security," Piper buts in with a fake close-lipped smile, but Alex ignores the comment.

"Security, hey!" he exclaims, using his free hand to shake Alex's back. "I guess you must have some balls to be dealing with this one here. I'm Pete. Polly's other half."

Piper watches the clogs in Alex's head turn, and in seeing her green eyes somewhat light up in a polite manner, she can't tell whether the brunette is putting two and two together about Polly being the woman in her apartment, or just being plain nice in general.

"Nice to meet you," Alex says, smiling. "By all means, don't let me keep you," she adds, taking a step back, suddenly feeling like she's intruding.

"Ah, that's alright," Pete says, holding up the bag of requested items. "I'm just dropping off a delivery for the ladies here."

"Piper, what the fuck is taking you so lo-" a feminine voice, followed by a figure, suddenly appears by the doorway.

In this instance, Alex finally has a face to attach to the blonde's best friend's name, and as she sees the small brunette standing there with a shocked expression, she wonders what if Piper has told the woman about the recent developments in their relationship.

The situation would have been awkward if it weren't for the fact that Polly immediately knew what was happening and identified that her best friend was struggling with the sudden lack of privacy.

"I'll take that, babe," Polly voices, reaching past the blonde and grabbing the food bag from Pete. "I'll see you at home," she says to the man, giving him dagger eyes - an indication that he needs to leave as soon as possible.

"Oh, yeah, okay. I'll see you at home," the Australian man begins to stutter. "Bye P," he waves at Piper as he takes a step back towards the door leading to the stairwell. "It was nice meeting you, Alex."

"You too, Pete. They're a lot easier on the way down," she says, nodding her head towards the entrance to the stairway.

"I should fucking hope so," Pete chuckles, and as he makes his exit, it's now only Polly standing in their way.

"I'll leave you to it," the small brunette says more so to Piper than Alex before retreating back into the depths of the apartment, and if Alex had to guess, she imagines the blonde's best friend is tactically situated somewhere where she can still hear everything that's being said.

"So that must be Polly."

"Yep. The one and only."

"Does she know about-"

"No," Piper interrupts, immediately knowing what Alex is about to ask. "No one does."

"I see," Alex pauses, sensing her company isn't welcomed. "I'll leave you to it then," she says, giving off a quick close-lipped smile.

"Thanks," is all the blonde manages to get out - not wanting Alex to leave, but then again feeling somewhat conflicted if she were to stay. "Do you know when you'll be back?"

"I'm contracted for 3 months at the minute but that could change."

_I know it fucking can_, Piper thinks to herself as she attempts to look unaffected by Alex's answer yet fails miserably.

"Oh," she utters, not too sure what to think about such a fact. "I should head back in. The food's probably getting cold," she continues, hooking her thumb behind her head to point inside the door.

"That's okay," Alex smiles. "Goodbye for now I guess."

"Goodbye for now _it is_," the blonde responds, unable to prevent her sombre expression from twitching.

Without thinking, Alex steps forwards and wraps her arms around the blonde, feeling the slightly smaller woman sink into her embrace as she, in turn, wraps her own around Alex's waist. No words are exchanged for the best part of a minute until the brunette feels a twitching movement from the end of Piper's nose on the bare skin of her neck - a sign that she is trying her best to hold in her emotions.

Pulling back slightly but still keeping her hands on the blonde's neck, Alex lets out a genuine smile.

"I look forward to hearing from you, kid," she says, raising her right hand to wipe a lone tear escaping down Piper's cheek.

She doesn't wait for a response knowing that Piper probably doesn't even have one, and by the time she reaches the door leading to the staircase, she hears the blonde calling her name. Turning her head back, Alex observes Piper's frame in the same position as it was before, except her hands are both clutching onto the material of the front of her black and white striped t-shirt.

"Thank you," Piper says, and although there's still underlying tension, anger and fear living beneath the surface, it's not lost on both women the impact that meeting one another has had on their lives.

Alex immediately understands the fragile looking blonde and smiles.

"Anytime, Ms Chapman."

Piper watches the brunette exit through the same door Pete had gone through and is now left alone in the threshold of her apartment door.

Heading back into the living room, she sees Polly seated on one side of the sofa looking directly up at her, her eyes bleeding with sympathy. The food is set up on the small coffee table as well as two large glasses of wine, and although Piper is touched by her best friend's efforts, she takes this moment to finally allow her emotions to let themselves loose, breaking her internal dam of composure.

"Oh, Piper," Polly whispers out, opening her arms as the blonde takes a seat next to her and collapses into her arms, crying erratically against her shoulder.

Both women are unsure how long they'd been seated like that, and even though their long-awaited food is probably cold by now, it doesn't stop the following inevitable conversation from taking place; when Piper pulls back and begins to wipe her wet, bloodshot eyes, Polly places a hand on her knee.

"Let's start from the beginning," she prompts calmly, and over the next hour and a half, Piper lets it all out. How she'd been drawn to Alex since they'd first met; how she'd essentially left Larry out of intrigue for Alex; how she'd slept with Alex; how she felt herself falling for Alex; how she felt crushed by Alex.


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm back - thank you for your patience! **

**Do let me know if you have any ideas for future chapters- I'm still open to suggestions.**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

"This is fucking bullshit!" Piper shouts to herself as she pushes a pile of papers onto the floor and lowers her head, running her hands through her hair.

In an unexpected turn of events, recent occurrences in court didn't go the way of the police, and with her spotless reputation, the blonde was the first one contacted to try and save the day. Well, by save the day, her task was to go through all the case's current evidence and create a portfolio-like document, noting down all of the findings that will aid particular arguments.

Such a task couldn't have fallen at a worst time. While it had been keeping her busy, Piper found herself working into an overdrive of fatigue, whereby the words flying across her pages often translated as a form of nonsense in her eyes. The only thing that had kept her going was the fact that she'd been given some rare time off the following day, and although that initially worked as a form of motivation, the endless legal terms flying through her brain were enough to render her to a mental stalemate for the evening.

If anyone else were to observe her work, they'd probably note on how hard she was being on herself; Piper had covered a substantial amount of ground during the week and a half she'd been working independently, and whether she knew it or not, some of her discoveries would prove to act as a make or break power card should they be brought up by another member of her team in court.

So now, as she closes over her eyes in frustration, Piper officially calls it a day, deciding that the remainder of her Tuesday evening should be spent in the comfort of her home with a bottle of vodka acting as a companion.

In any other situation, she would have felt guilty for how she'd been acting in and around the workplace, but a busy schedule mixed with emotional baggage has never been something she'd been very good at juggling. Since Alex's departure, the familiar, older man with grey hair returned, except this time taking over as her head of security, and despite her best efforts to do so, she doesn't like the man. It's not necessarily anything that he's done wrong, it's what he's not doing. He's not asking about what she's currently reading; he's not offering to keep her company after a particularly stressful day; he's not Alex.

As much as she tries not to, Piper finds herself comparing the man to Alex in every given scenario.

Conversation between them is almost always professional, and if it were to waver out of that barrier, it would be due to the man offering comments about his wife and middle-aged children. The blonde had found she'd sunken back into her before-Alex levels of bitchiness when it comes to being told what to do or how to act, and even though she knows the poor man is only doing his job, it doesn't stop her subconscious from intervening.

The evening's car journey and apartment sweep seemed to pass by in record time, and if she were to tap into the back recesses of her brain, Piper would maybe even remember her security guard mentioning that it was his wedding anniversary and his wife was waiting patiently for him to arrive home.

Now alone in her apartment, the blonde takes off and leaves her heels and blazer by the front door before heading into the kitchen. Grabbing the first available glass - fittingly, a wine one, she walks into her living room where she collects an opened bottle of vodka from a cabinet en route. Too tired to even consider cooking herself dinner, she sits down, takes her phone out of the pocket of her grey trousers, and makes an order with her go-to local pizza place.

Satisfied that her plans for the evening are commencing, the blonde settles back into her leather sofa before reaching to her side for the TV remote. The large flat screen soon shoots into life, as the bright illuminations of whatever channel had last been on starts playing. Sipping on her small glass of vodka - trying her best to not let the burning sensation on the back of her throat get the better of her, Piper browses the channels before landing on a - as fake as ever - reality television show, telling herself she won't find much better entertainment at this time in the evening. The image of a car advertisement causes her eyebrows to furrow slightly, but her confusion is soon answered by noting the ad break was currently on show.

With nothing else to do but wait for her food to arrive, the blonde sits through the adverts before a 5 minute hourly news bulletin appears on the screen. _Just play the fucking show already_, she thinks, remembering why she had never been a fan of the running schedule of this particular channel.

The typical celebrity gossip filters across the screen: who's been seen out for lunch with who and who's in a custody war with an ex, but nothing could have prepared her for what the presenter was about to talk about. Well, it's not so much _what_ the presenter spoke about, more so what such a statement meant down the lens of a camera.

She listens to the woman talk about the newly emerged American actress, Chelsea Byrne, and the latest role she'd managed to land herself. Images of the young woman with auburn hair walking along the street with sunglasses covering her face fills the screen, which is soon followed by a clip of her working her way through a large crowd of people outside a hotel who had somehow gotten word she was filming inside.

It's obvious the young woman is overwhelmed by the sudden rush of attention she wasn't expecting, but it isn't the actress that catches her eye, it's the woman in an all too familiar attire with one hand on the younger woman's waist, guiding her through the crowd.

If Piper was in a bad mood before, God knows what you would even begin to call it now. Her rage bubbles within her as though a switch had been flicked; Alex had left her role with her to go and work for a famous Hollywood actress. Not just any old actress, but a young, attractive, popular one too. The thought in the back of her mind telling her that the brunette is only doing her job isn't one she lets push its way to the front, and although the actress is surrounded by another three other guards to help move the crowd out of the way, her only thought is about Alex.

She doesn't even wait another second before turning off the TV entirely, letting her thoughts grow in the silence of the room.

_Must have been really fucking important that you had to ditch me for an actress_, she states to herself internally, thinking back to the brunette's excuse in not knowing the full details of what she was signing herself up for.

Deciding that she needs something much stronger to gulp down before her food arrives, the blonde heads back towards the kitchen where she remembers that an old bottle of whiskey - a present from her father, had been living in one of her cupboards for nearly a year.

Initially, she finds herself struggling to open the bottle entirely - adding to her foul mood, which only then transcends when she realises she left her glass in the living room. Letting out a heavy sigh, Piper instead takes out a new, more suitable glass, before starting to pour the contents of the golden brown liquid into the cup. Satisfied by the amount, she the places the bottle back onto the kitchen counter and picks up her glass, deciding to take a swig rather than smell it - not wanting to turn back on her uncharacteristic decision.

Whiskey had never been her drink of choice - an indication as to why the bottle had been in her cupboard as long as it had, and as the hot liquid burns her throat, the blonde is reminded why. That moment doesn't last very long, however, as in an unexpected fashion, the sound of a loud ringing bell - a sign that her food had arrived - makes her jump.

In her sudden panicked state, the small glass containing her position for the evening smashes against her tiled kitchen floor, and that just adds a cherry onto the icing of her dysfunctional cake. God help the delivery man at her door.

* * *

Judging by the room's darkness and the crick in her neck, Piper immediately discovers she had fallen asleep in her living room. The television is still off from hours before; her finished pizza box lies across the surface of the coffee table in front of her; her new - now empty - whiskey glass rests in her right hand, whereby it's distributer now also takes a spot on the small table in front, the liquid's horizon hidden under the top of its label.

She groans as she shuffles herself into a more upright position, and in blindly reaching her arm over to the side lamp, she gives the room an ounce of dim light. The clock above the fireplace reads that it's just after 2:30 in the morning, and if it weren't for her blistering headache and fatigue, the blonde would have shot up to sleep in the comfort of her bed.

She contemplates pouring herself another glass to numb her pounding head, but struggles to find the strength to fully heave her body upwards. She remembers she doesn't need to be getting up early for work in a few hours - giving her an element of comfort, which seems to give her a push over the edge to at least remove her back from the comforts of the leather chair to which she's now seated on its edge.

To avoid temptation, Piper decides she should at least block the urge to top-up her glass; slowly pushing herself to a standing position, the blonde lets her body sway momentarily, adjusting to the new position's height, before grabbing the neck of the whiskey bottle and plodding back into her kitchen.

She can't remember much more of what happened afterwards, but given the fact that she wakes up nearing 10 am completely naked under her duvet, she assumes she went from the kitchen to her bedroom, gave in with the task of finding pyjamas, and flopped into bed. She hadn't had a lie in like this in a long time - her job often meant early wake-up calls, so, revelling in the silence of her apartment in her newly woken state, she lies there, wondering how much time will pass before she falls asleep again.

That plan didn't quite work out as the first sign of her hangover begins to show - well, really the second, given how late she had slept in. Feeling a sudden bout of nausea wash over her, Piper rushes into her en-suite and manages to reach the toilet in time to expel the evidence of her evening's alcohol consumption. After feeling somewhat better, she moves to brush her teeth, eyes widening as she looks at herself in the mirror - almost as though she'd forgotten she was completely naked.

Her eyes scan along her skin - a paler tone than normal: a sign she could use a holiday, and note the freckles and marks she hadn't seen before. It doesn't take long before she sees a small, finger shaped, bruise on her left hip, and after tracing her own fingers along the small, fading mark, she instantly is reminded how it appeared - more so _who_ was responsible for its presence to begin with.

Shaking her head back into focus, Piper spits out her toothpaste and, without so much as looking back into the mirror, moves over to her medicine cabinet, hoping she has something to at least try and ease her hangover. Quickly learning that she has no appropriate form of medicine, the blonde moves back into her bedroom and stands in the open air, wondering what to do next. The early signs of the return of her headache begins to make itself known at the sides of her temple, which causes her to change gear and decide she should head out and buy some medicine - _maybe the fresh air will help_, she reasons.

In wanting to keep her look casual considering she has nowhere important to be on her day off, the blonde puts on a light blue pair of jeans before pausing in her quest for a t-shirt. Her eyes land on a folded item on the top of her chest of drawers - something she purposely hadn't been putting much thought towards. Picking up the white item, she holds it open which reveals an unravelled version of the white shirt Alex had returned, claiming it was mixed in her washing - whether that was true or not, Piper didn't entirely know.

Fighting an internal battle with herself, the blonde brings the item to her nose, closing her eyes over as the scent she instantly recognises fills her nostrils. It's a smell that not only reminds her of Alex, but it's the overwhelming aroma that she identified when she had spent the night at Alex's. It lined the towels in her bathroom and the pillows in her living room; she can't quite put her finger on what it is, but she knows for a fact that it _screams_ Alex's presence.

Blowing a heavy breath out of her mouth, the blonde lowers the item and places it back onto the counter, deciding she'll deal with putting it somewhere later, and moves to put on a plain white t-shirt.

By the time she's dressed and grabs some late breakfast, Piper leaves her home to walk to the nearby supermarket, hoping she won't be bothered in her current state. Thinking ahead, she puts in her headphones and pushes her clubmaster Ray-Bans onto her face, which surprisingly manages to do the trick and allow her to reach the store unnoticed.

Considering it's approaching Wednesday afternoon, the aisles are busier than she anticipated, but knowing she only wanted one particular thing, Piper heads towards the medical section of the store. Unlike other aisles she walked past, this one is relatively empty bar one other woman looking at items on the opposite side to where Piper's interest was held.

Squinting her eyes as she reads the labels and prices of items, the blonde finally sees the medication she was looking for and picks it up. As she goes to exit and head towards the check out back near the front of the store, the sound of the woman behind her dropping something grabs her attention.

She sees the woman struggling to reach an item on the top shelf, and with her one crutch now lying on the floor, Piper guesses she had momentarily lost her stability.

"Here, let me," Piper says politely as she steps closer to the woman and picks up her crutch, handing it over with a smile.

"Oh! Thank you," the woman says, smiling at the act of kindness from a stranger. "This thing is a nightmare sometimes," she adds, chuckling in a self-deprecating manner.

Smiling at the older woman, Piper feels compelled to further help her. "I can imagine. Do you need some help reaching up for that?" she asks, alluding to the item nearing the edge of the top shelf.

"If you wouldn't mind," the woman smiles, seeming genuinely grateful that someone is going out of their way to help her.

"Of course," the blonde says, her voice straining as she reaches up. "They really shouldn't put items like this up there," she concludes, lowering herself back down to hand over the medicine box to the woman with a toothy smile, immediately taking a liking to her.

Piper guesses that the woman must be approaching her late 50s, and with her dark hair and blue eyes, she can't help but think she looks familiar. She doesn't press the subject, however - not wanting to impose on the woman's personal life.

"Do you need help with anything else?" the blonde asks as she fiddles with the box of her own medicine in her hand.

"No, thank you. You've done more than enough," the woman smiles, adjusting her crutch so that she has a more balanced surface area. "My daughter normally insists on helping with my shopping, but she couldn't make it," she begins, and Piper feels a tinge of sadness for the woman who obviously felt the need to explain herself in some shape or form.

"You're lucky to have someone like that around then!" Piper smiles, satisfied that the woman before her mirrors such an expression at the thought.

"Thank you for your help," the older woman begins to end the conversation before pausing. "I didn't catch your name?" she says as a prompt.

"Piper."

"Thank you for your help, Piper," she smiles, not losing hope just yet in the younger generation. "You've made life a lot easier for an old cripple like me."

"Oh, don't say that," the blonde smiles. "If you're old what does that make me?"

"I'll have to remind my daughter of that one," the woman chuckles, obviously appreciating the compliment.

"Enjoy the rest of your day," Piper says as she nods her head in goodbye.

"You too. Take care, Piper."

The blonde walks away feeling lighter on her feet. A part of her wants to turn back and ask the woman her name, be able to rectify her previous statement and make it more personal, but she refrains, deciding that may come across as strange.

With the encounter making her feel positive about carrying out her good deed of the day, Piper buys what she needed and begins to briskly walk home, her headache seeming to lower in intensity.

* * *

Her positive mood soon comes plummeting down as, as soon as she gets into the front door, the sound of her home phone was ringing. It immediately indicates that something is off; no one calls that number except her parents whose caller ID currently wasn't showing on the device's screen. Pulling her mobile from her pocket, she checks for any missed notifications, and in seeing none, she reluctantly answers her house phone.

"Hello," she says timidly, waiting approval as to who's on the other end.

"Piper, you answered!" a male voice that she immediately recognises as a top dog from work rings through the phone.

"Sorry, I was out. What can I do for you?"

"We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"How long will it take you to get here?" the man asks, dismissing the idea of discussing whatever has happened over the phone entirely.

"I can drive over and be there in 20," she responds, hoping a scene isn't going to be made about the fact that she was going to drive herself to her workplace alone.

"See you then," the man says before hanging up the phone.

Standing in the hallway of her apartment, Piper regrets opening that bottle of whiskey the night before. She knows that whatever she's about to face will be an almighty spanner in the works - something that most certainly doesn't sound too promising.


	18. Chapter 18

**I know it's short, but I wanted to get something out before I move back to uni (I might be able to get another one in before that too if I have time). **

**Let me know what you think! **

* * *

The surroundings of her bedroom when waking up is something Alex still hasn't gotten used to, and considering it's nearing a month and a half that she'd been living there, it's something she's wondering whether she'll ever get used to. The apartment she's staying in is modern and has all forms of luxurious appliances, and if it weren't for the fact that the living costs are being covered by her company, she'd guess it's something she'd never personally be able to afford in her lifetime.

The sky-line view of the city is something she does appreciate, however, whenever she ventures out onto the balcony of her bedroom, but considering she's here for work, it's exactly that that has been keeping her busy.

Most days, the brunette is out of the door by 7am whereby she meets with a driver and another security guard. Both men are easy to work with, and it's a reminder that no matter who you come across in this field of work, it's extremely rare that they don't act professional. She's found her new client to be somewhat irritating - something she keeps to herself, however, as the young woman seems to be more worried about a leak regarding her personal life rather than her safety when working so openly out in public.

Although it's a matter she's never found herself dealing with before, one of Alex's main tasks is assisting the young actress in keeping her romantic relationship with a young male out of the spotlight. So, while it seems like she's busting a gut to make sure no one breaks into the set during filming, in reality that's what her colleague is for; her job is to make sure no one in the media catches a drift of the young actress' boyfriend, which, so far, she's done a successful job at.

Finally getting up and making her way down the staircase and into the open-planned kitchen area, Alex makes herself a coffee and then grabs her phone, checking to see if she missed anything important over night. This weekend marks her first stint of time off since she started her role as her client is travelling for personal reasons. At first, she thought she would also have to join on the trip, but a last minute change of plans from the background staff meant the short straw was fortunately pulled by someone else.

Her device's screen is empty bar a few notifications about the daily news, which allows a feeling of relief to wash over her features; having someone contact her about an issue on her day off is the last thing she wants. Satisfied that she'll have the day to herself, the brunette opens up her messages to ask her mom when she's available to take a call before pausing. Her eyes scan along the few messages she had exchanged since her move, and considering she now also has a work phone that takes up a lot of her time, there haven't been many. They range between her friends and her mother - something which, considering how far away she is from home, keeps her somewhat content.

It isn't until she eyes the conversation half way down the screen that she sees the bold contact name _Piper_ illuminated. Clicking on the conversation, she feels guilt wrack across her body at the message she had last sent the blonde before her move had even been brought to knowledge: a simple '_I'm outside_'. She'd be lying to herself if she said she hadn't thought of contacting the blonde - because she had. More times than she wants to admit, so as her finger grazes the option to proceed further and make a call, Alex stops herself - not wanting to go against Piper's wishes and so decides to wait for the younger woman to be the first to reach out.

Choosing to select the return button in the left top corner instead, the brunette continues with her original intentions and sends her mother a message, hoping she gets a quick response.

* * *

"Does that sound okay?" Piper asks from where she's standing in her living room.

"It sounded exactly like it did the first time, Pipes, and that was perfect. Stop stressing out," Polly says from where she's seated on the blonde's sofa, watching her best friend read from a piece of paper.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just don't want to fuck up."

"You know that isn't going to happen," the brunette says, lifting her wine glass to take a sip. "Why don't we order our dinner and you can at least try and relax until it arrives."

Taking off her round reading glasses, Piper huffs.

"You're right. I should stop for the evening. I'll wake up early before the pitch."

"Now go put all your work away and fill up your wine. You have some gossip to fill me in on."

"I think I'll need something stronger before I do that, Pol," the blonde claims, smiling as her best friend raises her eyebrows.

If she'd been stressed the week before, Piper wasn't even sure how to describe how she's feeling now. Since being called into the office at the weekend, her work life has been thrown off its axis, and it's something she hasn't been pleased about in the slightest.

* * *

_"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Piper asks through a loud voice as she leans forward in her chair._

_"I know this may be a little last minute but-"_

_"A little last minute? Are you telling me I've been slaving away at making this fucking file for you to say it was pointless."_

_"Piper - that's not what I meant. It's just we need to change course and win back some support," the man she had spoken to on the phone says from where he's seated in his office chair._

_"That has nothing to do with me and you know that."_

_Pausing and letting out a breath through his nose, the man braces himself._

_"Look. Someone dropped out and you're our best public speaker. We need you to do this."_

_"I'm not here to speak on your behalf. I was here to help with one thing and now I'm being dragged in to do something that's the complete opposite."_

_"I know it sucks, but you're our last option."_

_Closing her eyes and clenching down on her jaw, the blonde tries to hold back her anger._

_"How long do I have?" she asks, knowing she has no option other than to comply._

_"You'll pitch the ideas next week to a few of us and then the week after that will be the main event."_

_Shaking her head sideways, Piper stands up and grabs her coat from the back of her chair._

_"You could have just said all of this over the phone."_

_"I didn't want you to be angry."_

_"Well guess what? I'm really fucking angry," she shouts, feeling the veins in her neck throbbing against the surface before turning her back to the still seated man and leaving his office, making sure to slam the door behind her. _

* * *

"Why're they making you do this again?" Polly asks as she goes to take a bite of pizza.

"Some dipshit dropped out last minute so they asked me."

"Why didn't you turn it down then?"

"And let our side lose the case completely? I don't like that they screwed me over, but I still want my overall work to be worth something."

"Then why are you so stressed? You've done plenty of public speaking over the years."

"I know I have. I just like to be prepared… and I'm also not being paid anywhere near enough to be taking on this kind of work at this late notice."

"Bring it up then," Polly says, placing her pizza box down onto the coffee table in front of them before looking over at her best friend.

"What?" Piper asks, feeling the brunette's gaze burning into her face.

"How've things been?" she asks, and it isn't lost on the blonde that it isn't work she's alluding to.

"Okay," Piper tries to dismiss, not exactly wanting to talk about it.

"Have you reached out to her?" Polly asks, knowing she'll have to bring up the topic due to Piper's stubbornness.

"No, I-" she pauses, not knowing how to put how she's feeling into words. "I've been busy."

"This isn't about what you saw on TV is it? I thought we went through this?"

"Not exactly, no. It's just. She doesn't seem to be needing me in her life at the minute," the blonde voices quietly. "I don't want to be a burden."

"Oh come on, Pipes, you know that isn't true," Polly says, reaching forward to grab her best friend's hand. "You're the one that told her to not contact you and wait until you're ready. Why say something like that if it's not what you want?"

"I was scared, okay?" Piper voices, her pitch increasing suddenly. "Scared that she doesn't like me for who I am but rather _what_ I am."

"You know that's bullshit, Piper," the brunette reasons, giving her best friend a knowing look. "You're miserable and I don't think I've heard of you talk about anything other than your work since she left."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Work is important," the blonde tries to comment, but knows Polly won't give up. "I just… what do I even say? Things didn't exactly end well between us."

"Be honest with her. Tell her what's going on in your head."

"Pol, I don't really know what's going on in my head. One minute I'm pissed at her, another I'm missing her, and the next I'm angry at myself for even thinking about her," Piper reveals, running her fingers through and grabbing her hair tightly out of frustration.

"Just think about it, Pipes," the brunette concludes before deciding to change topic, not wanting to see her best friend go through another emotional breakdown courtesy of just thinking about a certain woman.

* * *

In bed that same evening, Piper finds herself in a position that she'd increasingly found herself becoming familiar with. The pillow she sleeps on is raised so that she can sit up against the headboard, while the darkness of the room is impeded by the brightness coming from the screen of the phone in her hand.

For the past 10 minutes she'd written, re-written, and deleted several drafted messages to Alex - still not knowing what to say despite Polly's attempts at giving her some hinted ideas. She doesn't want to be too forward in stating how much she misses the brunette, but, at the same time, she wants to know if Alex feels the same. Has she been on her mind also or has she been too swept up in her new world?

Satisfied with the fact that she's finally getting over herself and trying to reach out, Piper adds a question mark before reading over what she had typed out.

'_How long is too long to process something?_'

She bites her lip at the fact that she's heavily alluding to one of their final arguments before Alex had left, but decides to click send anyway - if Alex is true to her word, whatever is said between them shouldn't be a problem.


	19. Chapter 19

**Here's the next chapter! **

**I've been really busy moving back to uni this week and will be for the next few as my lectures begin. Updates won't be as frequent, but they'll eventually start appearing every now and again. **

**Please let me know what you think in the reviews/drop me a pm. **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Piper felt nervous - not at the thought of giving an extremely crucial speech to a live audience, but at the thought of every possible outcome whenever she looks at her phone. She's yet to get a response from the message she had sent Alex a nearly a week prior, and even though the bulk of her time was spent in meetings and speech preparation conferences, it wasn't something she could just push to the back of her mind.

She knows Alex is busy - it doesn't take a genius to work out that someone working in her field of security spends a lot of their time working, but given the brunette's side of the argument she gave when they had last spoken, Piper is surprised she hasn't at least received some form of acknowledgement to her message which only reads 'delivered'.

Her morning began in an emotional state; the sight of her tired self in her bathroom mirror led to the development of watery eyes, and when she clinged onto the edge of the sink and lowered her head, not even an attempt at regulating her breathing stopped her onset of tears. Her fluctuating emotional state is something she's been struggling to deal with. Yes, she's stressed, but it doesn't help that it isn't only her working life eliciting such an emotion.

Where she's now seated in a blacked out Range Rover that had collected her from her apartment, Piper reminds herself to focus. All of her recent late nights and early mornings will come down to the speech she's expected to faultlessly deliver, yet as she sits and reads over the scripted piece of paper, her mind is far from relaxed. This is _by far_ the most influential speaking opportunity she's been given throughout her career as of yet, and she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't nervous. Even in her initial speech a few months before - something that was actually her job to do in the first place - the by-product turned out to be a form of political protest; albeit she was unharmed, it wasn't an enjoyable experience.

Earlier in the week, she was informed that the security presence will be doubled considering the controversy recent developments have stirred from inside the court. Although she isn't entirely involved in that side of things in this instance, Piper is aware that people won't care about that; if they don't like the side of the case she's supporting, protesters won't have a problem with making some sort of public scene revolving around what she's saying. So, in this case, it's safe to say that - in what seems to be a thought creeping into the forefront of her mind - the blonde is worried about her safety.

"Ms Chapman we're here," the voice of her grey-haired bodyguard announces. "I'll open this door and my colleagues will be present to escort us through," he explains, not wanting his client to be overwhelmed by the presence of people she isn't familiar with.

The man doesn't wait for a response - something which Piper is thankful for; she doesn't really feel like entertaining conversation at this moment in time.

Once she's out the car, the blonde immediately notices the extreme lack of people crowding the entrance, and it doesn't take her long to realise the car had arrived at the back end of the building in order to avoid any possible confrontation from members of the public - another thing she's thankful for.

Surrounded by a group of smart, well-dressed security members, Piper is escorted into the building and then into the room in which she's been allocated to prepare herself before she's due to start her talk in roughly another hour.

She takes off her black blazer and hangs it over the back of the room's sofa, leaving her in a traditional white shirt, black skirt, and black heeled shoes. The room manages to block out the hustle and bustle that was running throughout the back corridors of the building, and this gives Piper a chance to breathe.

She paces through to either side of the room reciting her speech - only using her piece of paper as a reference every so often. Once she eventually feels confident enough, the blonde allows the hair and make-up team to come in to perform their touch-ups - she was going to be featured on some popular news channels after all.

Once the two women finish their work and leave the room, Piper is once again left alone with her thoughts before the man who had dragged her into all of this a few weeks prior walks in.

"How're you feeling?" he asks, and Piper notes his top button is undone and his tie is loose - _I guess I'm not the only one feeling some nerves_, she thinks.

"I feel ready," she admits before standing up from her chair. "Trying to use my nerves as a motivator."

"Good. Good," the man says, rubbing his hand along his forehead. "People are being brought to their seats so we're nearly ready for you."

"Okay, great. Thank you," Piper deadpans, hoping the man gets the message that she wants to be left alone.

He in fact reads her signal correctly and leaves the room, whereby Piper then grabs her blazer jacket from the sofa and stands in front of the desk mirror to put it on. With her hands on the lapels, straightening out the garment, she hears the sound of her vibrating phone which is resting on the desk on top of a piece of paper.

With her mind focused on her up-and-coming expectations, she reaches down to the device without thinking too hard into who it could possibly be - assuming it's probably Polly or a family member wishing her luck. Once she clicks on the round home button, illuminating the screen, her stomach drops. The message - one she had been not-so-patiently checking for - is a long awaited, however, the content of the message isn't what she had hoped it would say.

_Alex: Good luck today, kid. _

Yes - Alex had eventually replied to her, but at the same time she didn't. Her response completely dismisses the topic Piper had initiated, and considering how long it took to receive such an answer, the blonde feels a bout of confusion wash over her features. Putting her phone into her bag, she tries to dismiss the several thoughts threatening to take over; she'd be damned if all her hard work went down the drain due to Alex's actions - or even her lack of.

"Ready Ms Chapman?" her bodyguard asks, after appearing in the threshold of the opened door.

"Whenever you are," Piper responds, leaving her belongings behind and giving herself a last once-over in the mirror.

"You won't be needing that," the man says, pointing towards the piece of paper in the blonde's hand. "The script's already out there on the stand."

"Yes. Of course," Piper agrees before being led out the room, internally scalding herself for forgetting such an obvious thing slip her mind - walking out in front of the cameras with paper in her hand wouldn't be a good look.

By the time she walks out onto the stage, all thoughts are focused on her task at hand. She observes the audience for a brief moment as she waits for their applause to finish, noting the presence of a vast number of journalists in the rows, the set up of cameras at the back of both sides of the room, and the clear middle section. She notes some familiar faces standing around the back doors dressed in all black, and in knowing her boss had doubled the supply of security - who she assumes are hidden throughout the room, she feels a lot more confident.

As expected, the blonde's speech goes off without a hitch; all of the key points her team had discussed were performed with levels of relevant detail, and even some new, exclusive information was given much to the thanks of the sudden flash of cameras when those words had been spoken. Not everything was quite over yet, however, as once the room again applauds the blonde, the floor is opened to questions.

Similarly to the last time she had spoken at this kind of event, Piper answers the first few questions with relative ease - having prepared some answers for obvious queries that were bound to come up, but, as inevitably expected, not all questions could possibly be prepared for.

As she watches a male at the end of one of the rows in the press section being handed a microphone, Piper has to hold in a gasp when she sees who it is; she'd recognise the small, dark-haired man from anywhere - especially given his bold choice in sweater.

"Hi, I'm Larry Bloom representing the European News publication. I'd like you to address the fact that your corporation hires murderers," he states, causing Piper's eyes to widen in shock, and several members in the room to gasp in an equal amount of surprise.

"I'm sorry, but that isn't a relevant question, sir," Piper begins, not exactly knowing what her ex-boyfriend is talking about, but trying her best to get out of the situation she's managed to find herself in, guessing the man's presence at the talk has been triggered by his own independent motives.

"So you're not denying it?" he asks in response, and Piper notes the man is holding a recording device in his left hand - something most journalists in the room are also doing.

"I have no idea what accusations you're trying to make, but I'm here to talk about the case, not who HR deal with," the blonde says in a sharp manner, not wanting to come across as rude.

In a relentless fashion, Larry continues.

"You aren't worried about the fact the police you're working with are both liers and murderers."

At this, the members of the room seem invested in the revelation the man is pouring out, and as she looks over at her colleagues hidden in the seats on the front row, Piper doesn't know what to do. She knows Larry is here to make her look bad and cause a scene, but if she's being honest, she has no idea what he's talking about - the current court case has nothing to do with a murder involving a police officer.

"Mr Bloom - this isn't a trial concerning both murders and police officers," Piper begins, but is again interrupted by the man; catching her eye is the sight of the two security guards at the back shuffling forward on their spot, ready to intervene when necessary, although she feels as though that should have happened by now.

"Have you ever heard of Galina Reznikov, Miss Chapman?" he asks through a smug tone of voice. "She was the longest serving female police chief but died in service a few years back. Do you know who killed her?"

At the sound of the name Larry had mentioned, Piper immediately understands what he is trying to do and looks over at the security guard at the back, nodding her head slightly - an indication that she wants the man removed from the room.

"This case," he continues from where he steps out into the middle walking aisle, still facing Piper but ensuring to be in the shot of the cameras, "is not only flawed, but has a murderer on it's security team. What else are you hiding?"

The guard grabs Larry by the arms and begin to walk him out of the room, but that doesn't stop him from vocalising his accusations.

"Do you not have anything to say? Not going to protect _your girlfriend_," he shouts through a voice of spite, all but confirming why her ex-boyfriend had come here today: wanting to bring Alex down with him.

Once the security guard has the set of double doors opened for him from the outside, Piper observes Larry being handed over to another person. She watches her ex-boyfriend struggle in their arms - even going as far as elbowing the security guard in the nose, which manages to set him free for a brief second. The double doors begin to close slowly, impeding her vision, yet she manages to catch a glimpse of someone rushing into the frame and knocking the man down onto the floor in a forceful style. She extends her neck to get a better view of the person, and even though she sees a set of familiar dark hair, Piper immediately dismisses the thought that it could have been Alex. Why would it be?

With the back doors fully closing over and all eyes in the room turning back towards her, Piper doesn't really know what to do next. Letting out a huff into the microphone through a smile, she decides that using humour is the best method of salvaging the situation.

"Well that was exciting," she comments while raising her eyebrows, causing the room to laugh at her - although now fake - state of confusion matching their genuine own. "I think that'll be all for questions for now. Thank you everyone," she concludes with a smile as the room again begins applauding her efforts as she walks to the side and out of everyone's view.

"What the fuck was that?" she hears her boss talking to a member of the security team, anger evident in his voice.

"Seems like a disgruntled journalist, sir. We're handling it."

"Ah, Piper," he changes the topic as he watches the blonde appear from her spot on the stage. "You did great out there," he says, extending his arms to give the blonde a congratulating hug - something she accepts. "I'm sorry about that guy in there, but I can assure you he's being dealt with as we speak."

"What's going to happen to him?" she asks, not caring about Larry per se, just wanting to know what precautions are going to take place.

"For starters, we need to see whether charges will be pressed for assault," he begins, joining the blonde on the short walk back to the room she had prepared in earlier.

"Assault?"

"Seems like that man had a lot of pent up anger in that little body," her boss explains, tilting his head to the side. "A guard took an elbow to the nose and another had some form of minor head injury. I don't know what exactly happened, but all I know is that things don't look too promising for that man. Don't worry about it though," he digresses, "you dealt with everything perfectly and did us all proud - not that I expected any less."

"I appreciate that," Piper admits before pausing at the door that had been unlocked and opened for her by another member of staff. "About what he was saying," she begins, not wanting to sound as though she knew what he was talking about. "Is that going to be looked into?"

"It's extremely unlikely," the man reveals, causing Piper's resolve to relax. "That case was dealt with a long time ago and all police officers were proven to have done nothing except their job. Like I said: it's nothing to worry about," he concludes, outstretching an arm for Piper to enter the room. "I'll leave you on your own. Again: you did great today, Piper."

"Thanks a lot," she smiles, preferring this side of her boss compared to the nervous, stressed version she'd become more familiar with as of recent.

Once the door closes over and she's left alone, Piper again takes off her blazer and places it onto the sofa, yet this time she takes a seat, throwing her head back and closing her eyes.

She can't help but replay the encounter with Larry. If she's being honest with herself, it's something she should have expected - he had previously mentioned he would be carrying out some freelancing work on his travels, but the idea of him appearing just to throw Alex - and quite possibly herself - under the bus wasn't something that crossed her mind at any point.

Alex.

She feels guilty; she knows how sensitive the topic her ex-boyfriend had brought up was for the woman, and given the fact that she knows the outburst was bound to feature all over the media, it's only a case of _when_ people will start asking questions as to who this so called 'murderer' is.

With her eyes still shut, Piper hears a light knocking on the door to which she tells the person to come in.

"Just give me a moment. I'll be ready to leave in a few," she says, thinking it's someone coming to tell her that her driver has arrived.

"That's okay. I have plenty of time," an all too familiar voice announces after the sound of the door closing, causing Piper to open her eyes and tilt her head to the left.

"Alex?" she whispers out at the sight of the woman before her, wondering why on earth she is in the state nevermind the current building.

"You haven't forgotten about me then," the brunette says through a small, tight-lipped smile, her voice quieter than normal as she walks further into the room, almost as though she's treading on egg shells.

Bringing her head forward to an upright position, Piper allows herself to sit up.

"You're here. Why're you here?" she asks, the confusion evident in her voice.

"I got a call a few days ago saying they needed extra people."

"But you have someone else that you-"

"Can we not talk about that," Alex interrupts, to which Piper doesn't offer a response.

Instead she stands up and walks closer to the taller woman, trying to keep a suitable distance between them. She scans her eyes over the brunette, noting how she hasn't changed anything about her appearance until her eyes fall on the small blob of blood appearing on the left side of her forehead and the line of dried blood down the same side of her face.

"You're bleeding," Piper states, reaching a hand up to touch the left side of Alex's face.

"Don't worry about it. Nothing I haven't already been through before," the brunette voices, letting the blonde assess the injured area.

"What happened?"

"Larry happened. I managed to get him on the floor but he threw some sort of recording device at my head. I'm fine though. It's just a scratch."

"It's more than a scratch, Alex. That looks like it needs stitches," the blonde says, not managing to hide the sudden worry in her voice.

"Believe me when I said it's nothing I haven't already been through. I'll get by."

"I'm sorry about what he said. I didn't tell him or even anyone else. I would never do something like that," Piper begins, having pulled her hand away back to her side.

"I know. It wasn't your fault," Alex responds, her face not giving off any clear form of emotion.

"It's good to see you," Piper says, breaking the brief moment of silence.

"Yeah it is," the brunette responds, causing Piper to question whether this was the first real time she'd seen Alex in a state in which she doesn't seem to know what she's going to do next. "It's really good to see you."

Piper, instead of letting her sudden bout of emotions get the better of her, takes a step forward and pulls the taller woman into a hug, resting her head in the crook of her neck and inhaling in the scent she'd missed terribly.


	20. Chapter 20

"You'll eventually have to let go, Pipes. I think I might be suffocating over here," Alex jokes, her voice straining at the tight grip the blonde has around her body.

Immediately pulling away - unsure how exactly things currently are between them, Piper shuffles on the spot awkwardly.

"Sorry," she voices quietly, too caught up in her emotions to realise the taller woman was only adding some humour to the situation.

"I wasn't being serious," Alex chuckles, sensing the blonde didn't understand she was only kidding. "Wanna sit down?" she asks, quickly realising that Piper seems to be trapped in a daze of surprise.

"Sure," the blonde responds, moving back to the sofa followed by the brunette's close movements.

The pair sit next to one another in silence. Not an awkward silence, but almost as though basking in one another's company; both parties had planned a million times over what they wanted to say, but now the moment's made itself known, neither can seem to find the right words.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to reply to you," Alex begins, initiating the topic in which she knows Piper must be dying to ask about. "I've had a busy week and, if I'm being honest, I kind of forgot about my phone."

The statement causes Piper's eyebrows to raise; what had just come out of Alex's mouth wasn't reassuring in the slightest.

"Not like that," Alex says, noticing the blonde's sudden change in demeanour. "I use my work phone a lot of the time so I've been getting used to juggling two around. I know it's a shitty excuse, but I really am sorry, Piper."

"In other words I didn't even cross your mind."

"Of course you did," the brunette reveals, her eyebrows furrowing that Piper had even thought of such a thing. "I thought about calling you all the time but I wanted to respect your wishes."

"You technically still didn't answer my question," the blonde comments, wondering if Alex had purposely changed the topic when she eventually sent a message in the hope of having that conversation in person.

"I know," Alex nods before shuffling closer so that their knees are touching. "Piper, you do understand that nothing has changed on my end since the last time we spoke. I really like you."

"Do you mean that?" the blonde asks, seeking the comfort in not being rejected.

"Why else would I fly here last minute to help out? Of course I'm being serious. Unless you don't feel that way anymore… I'd understand if that was true."

"If anything I think being apart made it worse," Piper reveals, lowering her head as she tries to hide the reddening blush covering her cheeks. "I wanted to contact you _so badly_, but… I don't know… I thought you'd be so busy that you'd eventually just forget about me."

"You thought wrong," Alex responds, reaching over to place her hand on the blonde's thigh. "You were always on my mind, Piper. I didn't quite realise how much of an asshole I was being to you until you weren't around."

Before the conversation gets the chance to continue, a light knocking sound projects from the door, causing Alex to retract her hand and shuffle to the side, ensuring a safe distance is visible between them.

"Ms Chapman-" the sound of her bodyguard's voice enters the room as the door opens. "Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" he asks, having spotted that the blonde wasn't in the room alone as expected.

"We're all good here thanks, buddy," Alex says, turning to face the man she'd been introduced to a few times throughout her stint working with Piper. "Just had something to quickly talk about."

"Of course," the man smiles. "Your car's just arrived, Ms Chapman, so just let us know when you're ready."

"Thank you," Piper says. "I'm good to go now actually," she says, avoiding Alex's burning gaze.

"Excellent. I'll let Marcus know," he smiles, nods at Alex, and leaves the room.

Standing from the sofa, Piper walks over to where her belongings are resting on the room's desk and places them into her handbag. She can still feel Alex's look of confusion staring her down, but can't quite find the courage to turn back around and face her. That all goes down the drain, however, when their eyes lock in the mirror.

"So we're done here now, are we?" the brunette asks, a slight hint of - what Piper guesses is - anger evident in her voice.

"In here, yeah," the blonde begins, picking up her bag and finally turning around to create some eye contact. "I thought we could take this elsewhere. Somewhere where it's unlikely someone will interrupt."

Shuffling towards the edge of the sofa, Alex tries hard to fight off a smile - wanting to maintain some form of upper hand in concealing her elation at Piper's suggestion.

"Whatever suits you best," she says, standing up. "Do you want to put this back on?" she asks, having grabbed the blonde's blazer from the back of the seat she was occupying.

"Please," Piper smiles, holding a hand out for the garment to be handed over.

"Let me," Alex says in a professional manner, ignoring the outstretched arm and walking behind the blonde. "Arm up," she says, and Piper complies without so much as saying a word.

The silence between them radiates a palpable flow of built-up energy, but neither woman goes as far as restarting a conversation out of the chance that someone could come back in.

In an effort to ensure the blazer is comfortable, Alex runs her hands along the blonde's shoulders and down her arms, stopping on her biceps to give them a light squeeze.

"You're good to go," she says, eventually removing her hands and walking over to open the door.

With now only a view of Alex's back, Piper is relieved. She knows Alex is aware of the effect she has on her, but in this moment in time, it's taking everything in her power to not throw caution to the wind, forgive the taller woman, and show her how much she's really missed her.

With all of her belongings collected, Piper follows Alex out of the room, smiling as several of the people greet Alex who are obviously pleased to be in the well-respected woman's presence once again.

"I'll take it from here," she hears Alex say to her bodyguard, and if it weren't for the fact that he knew the professional relationship herself and Alex had previously shared, there wouldn't have been a chance her statement would have been accepted.

She doesn't quite hear what the man says to Alex in response, but as the pair share a smile, the brunette opens the car door and stretches out an arm - indicating for Piper to get in first.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you around here again this quick," the blonde's driver comments from where he watches Alex get into the car and shut the door behind her.

"Ah, well, I couldn't get enough of this place," she laughs before rattling off an address unnecessarily considering the man knows where Piper is driven to most days, but the brunette can never escape old habits.

Throughout the journey, Piper finds it hard to keep her hands to herself. She manages, but the temptation to link her hand with Alex's proves to be overriding. She knows it would have been a risky move considering her driver could have seen her actions through the mirror, so she held on to the thoughts of what could possibly happen once they were alone.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Alex asks as she descends the staircase of the apartment, having checked the upstairs.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that, you know, considering this is my home?" Piper states, laughing as she sees Alex perform an entertained smile.

"You seem distracted, that's all," the brunette comments, walking directly past the blonde and into the kitchen, leaving the latter behind to take off her heels in the front hallway.

"I have some opened wine in the side of the fridge," Piper begins as she walks barefoot into the kitchen.

"Already on it," Alex says while already in the process of pouring two glasses of white wine from the opened bottle. "You can head on in and I'll bring these over," she adds, nodding her head over towards the living room.

Piper willingly agrees and struts out of the room and into the space Alex had alluded to. Taking a seat down on the sofa, she looks around the room. It's tidy - as it always is, but most importantly, it feels as though it elicits feelings of nostalgia - maybe that has something to do with what had happened between them one particular evening on the current sofa, but Piper stops herself before she lets her thoughts go that far; they need to talk more than anything else.

"I've noticed you have quite the collection of drink going on in there," Alex comments as she hands the blonde her glass and occupies the spare seat on the sofa.

"Yeah, well, things haven't been very easy the last few weeks. Stress tends to do that to me."

"May I ask why?"

"I think you know why," Piper smiles as she cups her wine glass in her hand. "And work's been pretty busy."

"So I've heard."

"It feels strange that you're here. Like… you're not being a bitch this time."

Laughing loudly while tilting her head back, Alex smiles.

"I'm glad that's a trait you associate me with."

"I can think of some more damaging ones," Piper bites her lip, liking where the conversation is going.

"By all means, share with the group."

As she goes to take the conversation further, Piper is interrupted by Alex's ringing phone.

"Sorry. I gotta get this," the brunette says, trying to give off an apologetic look while doing so.

"Yeah, sure," Piper responds, continuing to sip her wine as she watches Alex answer the call and eventually leave the room once the conversation seems to grow more serious.

It's another 10 minutes until Alex comes back into the room and finds Piper pouring herself another glass of wine - a sign that she must have gotten up to collect the bottle from the kitchen whilst she was on the phone.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting a work call," the brunette admits, putting her phone into her pocket and sitting back down next to the blonde.

"I get it. You're a busy person," Piper says, taking a sip of her wine before putting the glass down onto the coffee table in front of her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just someone telling me I'm needed early this coming week."

"Oh," the blonde huffs out, trying hard to hide her disappointment despite knowing Alex wouldn't be staying for a particularly long amount of time.

"Come with me," Alex says, causing Piper's eyes to immediately widen.

"What?"

"Come with me. They want me to leave in two days' time, but I think we have some talking to do."

"I have work, Al."

"No you don't," the brunette smiles. "You've just practically won back the public support for your team with your speech today. I think they'll give you some time off if you ask for it."

"Are you being serious?"

"Deadly."

"I'll have to make some calls."

"Of course. I can go home if you need some time to think about it," Alex offers, knowing Piper must feel conflicted by her presence.

"No!" the blonde immediately responds, reaching forward to grab the brunette's wrist. "Stay. I'll just go call my boss and I'll be right back."

"Okay," Alex smiles. "I'll be right here."

If someone had told Piper that Alex was going to verbalise such a request, she would have shut them down on the spot. It's something she wouldn't have never expected, yet in being faced with such a scenario, it's something she feels as though she can't turn down; yes, she's calling her boss, but not for permission - she's calling him to _tell_ him she won't be in for the next week, whether he likes it or not.

"What did he say?" Alex asks once the blonde eventually reappears in the room, a smile on her face.

"Take as long as you need," she repeats in a mimicking voice. "I doubt he really meant that otherwise I don't think I'd return," she chuckles while Alex stands up.

"That's good. I'll call you tomorrow about the arrangements."

"Okay, thanks," Piper smiles. "Where're you going?"

"Home," the brunette states before feeling the need to explain herself given the woman before her's now disappointed face. "I would love to stay for longer but I really need to head home and sort out some things in my apartment."

"Oh, yeah, sure. I get that," Piper stutters, wondering how on earth their goodbye is going to pan out. "Let me walk you out," she begins, leading the way to the apartment's front door.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Alex asks while picking up her jacket she had earlier taken off.

"Yeah. I'll wait for you to call."

"Now that's a role reversal I'm not used to," the brunette jokes, alluding to the fact that she had been waiting for such a thing for over a month without so much as a simple form of correspondence until a week ago.

"I guess it is," Piper says stoically, unsure what to do next.

"Until tomorrow," Alex smiles as she moves to open the door.

The blonde meanwhile, waits for the taller woman to turn back and reaches up to place a light peck on her cheek.

"Tomorrow it is," she smiles, trying hard to fight the light blush she can feel growing on her cheeks.


	21. Chapter 21

**Here's another update - thank you for all the kind reviews! **

**Also, to the person who has brought up the story's rating saying that it shouldn't be M and instead K, I'm afraid I have to disagree with you. This story has sexual content (e.g. Chapter 12) and often uses profanity, which, in my opinion, is worthy of a higher warning rating. I'm just following this platform's guidelines as I respect that people should be warned if they don't want to read that kind of thing in a story.**

* * *

"Is all of this really necessary?" Piper asks as she steps into Alex's latest apartment, walking into the open-planned living space.

"I'm still getting used to it," Alex responds as she finishes putting their bags down by the front door. "It's not like I paid for any of it," she adds while walking into the kitchen area, smiling at the sight of Piper standing by and looking out the large glass window at the scenic view.

"It's quite the view, isn't it?" the brunette breaks the silence as she moves to stand next to the blonde.

"How do you not get distracted?" Piper asks, yet doesn't take her eyes away from the sights in front of her.

"It's not like I'm ever really here. Work keeps me busy."

"Oh… yeah. I knew that…" the blonde whispers out, hoping the topic of Alex's job doesn't further elaborate.

Not furthering the conversation, Alex turns to look over at the blonde.

"Can I get you anything before tonight?"

"Tonight?" Piper asks, wondering what the taller woman is alluding to.

"We're going out."

"We are?"

"Yep," the brunette begins, moving to walk over to the coffee machine on the kitchen counter. "Table's booked for 7, so you have plenty of time to get ready. Coffee?" she asks, turning to look at the surprised blonde.

"I'm okay, thanks," Piper smiles. "I think I'll go for a nap if that's okay?," she adds, tired from their travel, yet thankful it's only just approaching midday.

"I should probably get some sleep too instead of using this substitute," the brunette responds, holding up her empty coffee mug. "Make yourself at home. Bedroom's upstairs," she smiles as she watches Piper deliver a thanks and attempt to make her way through the maze that is her apartment to find the staircase.

Walking through the corridor upstairs, Piper finds herself peering into the rooms - far too many than necessary considering it's only Alex occupying the space herself. After seeing two office-like rooms and a bathroom, she eventually reaches the last room down the hall: a bedroom, and given that it's filled with several items she'd seen several times before, she realises it must be Alex's room.

With an overwhelming desire to further look around, she walks inside and pushes the door over behind her, not wanting Alex to come in and find her snooping. She first heads for the en-suite at the other side of the room, and as soon as she takes her first step inside, she's overwhelmed with the fresh scent that Alex adorns - especially in her post-shower state.

Walking over to the sink area, Piper places her hands on the edge of the basin while looking up into the mirror opposite. She notes light bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep she had during their flight over - reminding her of the reason why she had come upstairs in the first place. Turning on the tap's hot water, the blonde lightly washes her face and leaves her head hanging low, feeling the water droplets fall from her face into the sink as well as dribbling down her neck.

Pushing herself back up - blinking quickly to remove the water from her eyes, Piper walks over to the towel rack, grabbing the closest one and using it to wipe her face. She closes her eyes over at not only the feel of the soft fabric, but the - even stronger than before - scent of Alex. She doesn't know how much longer she'd found herself with her face in the towel, taking in the idea that Alex herself uses the same item, before the sound of the room's main door opening brings her back to reality. Putting the towel back and taking one last glance at herself in the mirror - adjusting the shape of her eyebrows while doing so, Piper opens the bathroom door and - as expected - she's faced with the sight of Alex standing in the mouth of the room's entrance.

"There you are. I was wondering if you'd gotten lost," the brunette jokes, taking further steps into the room.

"Sorry. I just needed to use the bathroom," Piper lies, not having the heart to reveal her real reasons for being in the bedroom or that she had already found the floor's other bathroom before entering.

"That's okay. I wasn't very clear about where things are," Alex says through a smile. "You can stay in here if you want. I just came to see you were okay."

"No, it's fine. I'll take the spare room. You should still be able to sleep in your own bed, Alex."

The brunette, in what seems like an anxious manoeuvre, runs her hand through her long, dark hair.

"The guest room may or may not have anything in it…. well, there's a bed, but no pillows or duvet."

"What?" Piper chuckles, amused at the fact the apartment itself screams luxury yet fails to cater such basic items.

"Is not like I use it!" Alex tries to defend herself, but too starts laughing. "I'm being serious. You can stay in here."

"Thank you," the blonde says quietly, too tired to put up any further of a fight.

"I just have to check some emails but then I'll be back. You can grab anything to wear in that drawer," Alex adds while making a swift exit at the sight of Piper's visible need for sleep.

Now alone again, the blonde walks over to the drawer Alex had pointed towards and rummages through to find a baggy t-shirt, deciding she'll just sleep alongside it in her own underwear. She does her best not to pry through all of the items in the small space, but after eventually getting changed and feeling more comfortable, Piper gets into to the large bed, sighing at the comfort of finally being able to lie down.

She isn't sure how long she'd been sleeping until she feels it, but as she goes to turn over, the blonde feels restricted as though something was pulling on her body. Opening her eyes, she notes an arm resting over her torso, and as she listens closely, she can hear the sound of light breathing coming from behind. It doesn't take her long to realise who she's in the bed with, but a large part of her doesn't want to move, instead desiring to take advantage of her current position.

Beginning to feel herself drifting back to sleep, Piper is jolted back awake at the feel of an arm landing on her breast. She closes her eyes back over at the feel, and as she feels the hand adjust its grip as though to get a more secure hold, she has to try and turn over before her bodily emotions get the better of her. She manages to turn onto her back, which causes the wandering hand to move from her breast back to her waist.

Looking over at the sleeping woman next to her, Piper reaches up a hand to run along the brunette's cheek, clenching her jaw while doing so. She looks over at the clock on the opposite wall and sees that it's approaching 5pm. Deciding that she should get up so she can have the first shower, the blonde begins to plan how to break the news to the brunette still sleeping on her right.

"Al," she whispers, yet doesn't get a response. "Alex?" she says louder, moving her hand to lightly shake the brunette's shoulder.

"Yeah," Alex responds with her eyes still closed, voice rough with sleep.

"We need to get up," Piper announces, trying hard to ignore the voice in her head telling her that now is the right time to initiate a kiss.

"No we don't," the brunette counters, shuffling closer so that her head further rests in the crook of Piper's neck.

"What about showering?"

"I showered while you were sleeping," Alex reveals, and Piper immediately notices the fresh scent of the brunette's hair near her face.

"I need to get in there then," the blonde smiles, enjoying the playful sleepy side of Alex, while turning onto her side so that they're now face-to-face. "I didn't think you were going to sleep."

"Something changed my mind," Alex answers, her face not revealing what she's really thinking.

"Do you have a towel I can use?" Piper asks, not breaking their eye contact.

"Already in there."

Feeling as though she's about to do something that might cause tension between them, Piper gives a close-lipped smile before getting up and heading back into the bathroom Alex had found her in earlier.

* * *

"Is it normally this busy in here?" Piper asks as they walk into a local bar having finished eating at the restaurant Alex had made reservations for.

"I have no idea. Never been in."

"It's literally on your doorstep, Al," the blonde chuckles, to which Alex shakes her head in a joking manner.

"Doesn't mean I had to visit. There's a booth over there," the brunette begins, pointing over to the corner of the less busy side of the room. "I'll get the drinks. Same again?"

"Sure," Piper smiles, not putting up a fight regarding Alex again paying for her drinks.

After taking a seat, the blonde bites down on her lower lip to prevent a smile from breaking out - not wanting to come across as a weirdo in a public setting. She's surprised no one recognised her - well, some people probably did considering she'd been given a few strange looks throughout their evening, but at this given moment in time, she's just happy no one has come up to her and said anything.

The bar is packed with people trying to voice their orders, and considering Alex was one of the last to join the line of people leaning on the sticky table, Piper's eyebrows raise when she observes the bartender moving from the far end of the table over in front of Alex. She watches the black-haired woman smile at Alex - acting more than overtly friendly in her opinion, but quickly looks away, not wanting to think too deeply about what could have just been someone doing their job in a kind manner.

No more than 5 minutes later, Alex arrives at their table, drinks in her hands.

"One Margarita it is," she smiles, placing the blonde's drink in front of her.

"Thanks. It's nice in here," Piper says, not knowing where exactly their conversation is going to begin.

"It is," the brunette smiles, before picking up her own drink - something Piper guesses is a fancy brand of beer. "Thank for you coming with me," she says after taking a sip from her drink, using the tip of her tongue to wipe away the foam along her top lip.

"I didn't really have any other option," the blonde jokes, also taking a sip of her drink. "I'm surprised you asked to begin with."

Pausing as though in thought, Alex adjusts her glasses while maintaining their eye contact.

"I'd been waiting to hear from you, you know," she says, starting the conversation that had been avoided at dinner but was inevitably going to be brought up at some point during the evening.

"I couldn't bring myself to contact you. I was pissed at you for leaving the way you did."

"I know I was an asshole. I'm sorry. I just… I don't really know what I'm doing. I worked for you; we were never meant to cross paths outside of professional quarters, but even that didn't stop it from happening. I'm not used to having a person around me… in my home, in my bed."

"I'm sure that last one's a lie."

"That's not what I meant," Alex scalds, wanting the woman opposite her to know she's taking the topic at hand seriously. "What I'm trying to say is that I missed you, Piper, and I know I fucked up and nothing will change that, but all I can do is be honest with you. I owe you that much at least."

Before she gets the chance to respond, the pair are interrupted by a woman walking up to the end of the table, smiling at the brunette.

"Alex, hey!," the blonde-haired woman says cheerfully. "It's me: Kelsey - the girl from the other night."

In hearing such a statement, Piper's heart drops. Yes, she knows she has a habit of jumping to conclusions, but what else could this woman be talking about? It's not like Alex moved here to make friends.

"Oh, hi. How've you been?" Alex asks, not yet introducing Piper to the other woman.

"All good now thanks to you," she chuckles. "You should come back over one of these evenings. We had fun."

"That would be great, thanks," the brunette smiles, looking over at Piper, noting her clenched jaw, before quickly turning back away.

"Kelsey, this is Piper. Piper this is Kelsey: my neighbour."

Piper's blue eyes widen in realisation as to what Alex had just said before she even gets the chance to look over at the standing woman.

They both briefly share greetings before it's the other woman's turn to seem shocked.

"Sorry! I didn't realise this was a date. I don't mean to interrupt," she says, her intonation rising.

"Don't worry about it," Alex chuckles, hoping the other woman gets the hint that now isn't a great time to be conversing.

"My friends will be waiting for me anyway. It was good seeing you again, Alex. It was lovely to meet you, Piper," she says with a smile before exchanging a wave with both women and walking out of sight.

"So you went to her apartment one evening?" Piper asks, watching the index finger that she's running along the edge of her cocktail glass.

"You know," Alex begins after a brief pause. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"I am not jealous!" the blonde tries to defend herself, looking up into the brunette's green eyes, finger pausing it's movements.

"Oh no? Then why were you looking at her like you wanted to blow her head off?"

"You still didn't answer my original question," Piper digresses, annoyed that she can't ever seem to keep her emotions in check whenever she's around Alex.

"Like I said: she's my neighbour. I helped her and her boyfriend jump-start their car one evening and they invited me round for dinner as a thank you. So, no - I didn't sleep with her because I know that's what you were thinking."

"I didn't-" Piper pauses, knowing Alex can read her like the back of her hand. "You didn't correct her, you know, when she said we were on a date."

"I know," Alex smirks before taking a sip of her drink, ensuring to maintain eye contact over the rim of her glass.

* * *

The rest of the evening proved to be tension-free and, if she were to describe it, Piper would say it was promising. By the time they end up back at Alex's apartment, the blonde anticipates how the rest of the evening will turn out. There had been some minor flirting throughout their night, but Piper isn't sure if it will escalate into anything further.

Alex had just gone into the bathroom while Piper waits in the kitchen area for the brunette. They've only been back for about 5 minutes, and as she sips on her glass of wine, Piper tries to hype herself up for what she's planning on doing next.

When she hears the sound of the bathroom door opening, the blonde places her wine glass back onto the kitchen counter. The sound of Alex's footsteps increase in volume - indicating she's walking down the hallway, and when she walks into the open-planned threshold of the kitchen and living area, Piper pushes herself off the kitchen counter and walks over to where Alex had just entered.

Without saying a word - or letting Alex herself offer anything verbal, the blonde places both hands on the brunette's cheeks and pulls her into a passionate kiss. Alex, initially shocked by Piper's forwardness, returns the sentiment and immediately wraps her hands around the blonde's waist, gripping the skin to pull their bodies closer.

Pulling back for a second to check there are no objections to her actions, Piper bites her lower lip at Alex's flustered look, before running her right hand into her long, dark hair and reconnecting their lips through a smile.


	22. Chapter 22

Stumbling up the staircase, Piper pushes Alex along the hallway and into the bedroom. With her hands gripping at the brunette's shoulders, Piper proceeds to push Alex against the nearest wall, their lips still attached. She feels Alex's hands anchor down on her waist, pulling at the material of her silver dress, causing her to let out a muffled groan into the taller woman's mouth.

"Fuck, Piper," Alex whispers, attempting to catch her breath as Piper's mouth slides down to the redenning skin of her neck.

After feeling satisfied with the mark she leaves on the brunette's skin, the blonde pulls back while fiddling with the edges of Alex's shirt, her fingers skimming the skin of her lower abdomen.

"I can't tell you how long I've waited to do that," she admits, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against Alex's.

"I have an idea," the brunette whispers in return, slowly moving her fingers from their position on Piper's waist up to the top of her back so that she can grip the zip of her dress and begin to pull it downwards. As the zip eventually rests on Piper's lower back, unable to travel further, Alex again pauses her hand, flattening it against the new sliver of skin revealed.

"Alex, I-" Piper begins, her voice wavering with emotion before the taller woman uses the index finger on her free hand to cover her lips.

"We can talk later," she says, not wanting the emotionally-charged moment to go running down the drain if conversation were to possibly branch into any form of argument.

Not giving the blonde a chance to proceed with whatever she was going to say, Alex leans forwards and reconnects their lips, instead initiating a slow, meaningful pace.

Their moves could somewhat be described as elegant as Alex controls the scene right up until she's left lying on top of Piper on the bed, both naked.

By the time Alex's head lowers and not long after returns from it's position between Piper's legs, smirking as she watches the panting blonde recover from her first orgasm, the unhurried nature of their reunion flew out the window. Grabbing the blonde's wrists and placing them on either side of her head, Alex adjusts her own body so that their centres come into contact with one another, aided by the movement of Piper's legs.

The room is soon filled with panting moans and the rising body heat from both women causes drops of sweat to line their hairline.

Piper fights hard against Alex's wrists, feeling her instinct to lower her hands to grip the taller woman's waist, but she soon finds the element of restraint a huge turn on - she was witnessing a side of Alex that rarely came to the table whenever they had before been intimate.

"Al," the blonde groans out, almost as a plea. "I'm gonna come," she adds, making sure to find the brunette's green eyes while speaking before not being able to hold it any longer. "Oh my God, I'm gonna come."

"Hold it," Alex says, trying to find stronger stimulation herself considering her focus had wondered to keeping Piper held down.

"I don't think I can," the blonde almost shouts out - the thought of holding back seeming impossible. "Fuck, Alex," she adds in a louder tone, and it's at this point - upon looking down - the brunette realises the woman below her was being serious.

Arching her back and further tilting her head backwards - revealing a prominent blue vein, Piper crumbles in dramatic fashion, her torso twitching due to her restricted movements while a stream of liquid leaves her centre, wetting Alex's own as well as her abdomen.

"I'm coming, Al, I'm coming!" the blonde attempts to warn the woman on top of her, but it seems to be of no use compared to her physical reaction.

Alex, meanwhile, is shocked to say the least by what she not only sees, but feels. It triggers her own resolve to snap, causing her to bury her face into Piper's neck, trying hard to regulate her breathing.

After what feels like a lifetime, Piper sighs with contentment when she feels Alex remove the grip on her wrists, finally allowing her to wrap her arms around her muscular body.

"You okay?" the brunette asks, pulling back slightly to look into Piper's eyes.

"I think so," the blonde says, chuckling lightly. "I've never come like that before," she reveals, alluding to the puddle of wetness resting between their still joined lower abdomens.

"It was hot," Alex smiles, kissing the woman below her on the jaw. "It won't be your last time coming like that either."

Before getting the chance to respond, Piper breaks out into a yawn.

"I think you've well and truly fucked my brains out," she says quietly, rubbing her hands along Alex's hips.

"Mm that would be no good now, would it, Ms Chapman?" Alex asks sarcastically, rolling to the left of Piper's body to allow them both the chance to stretch out.

Looking over at the taller woman with a smile, Piper places a hand on her toned torso.

"I missed you," she sincerely reveals, tracing the outline of the brunette's lightly visible six-pack.

"I missed you too," Alex looks down at the blonde's wandering hand before back up into her eyes. "I'm really glad you came with me."

"Just now or…" Piper jokes, causing the brunette to elicit a toothy smile.

"Not what I meant but I liked that too," she responds, focusing her eyes back on the blonde's exploring fingers.

"Al?" Piper probes after another moment of silence.

"Hmm?" the brunette hums, turning her head to the side.

"Things are going to be different this time, aren't they?" the blonde asks, her tone sombre.

"What do you mean?" Alex furrows her eyebrows, turning onto her side to get a better view of the woman next to her.

"You and me. It's not going to be the same. Not that there ever was a you and me before but you know what I'm trying to say," she rambles, anxious as to how Alex is going to react.

"Piper," the brunette says through a light smile to grab her attention. "Things are going to be different, yes, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"I like you Alex. Like I _really_ like you."

"I feel the same way," Alex begins, reaching her right hand up to brush back a piece of blonde hair behind the other woman's ear. "And that's why I'm all in. If you want that, that is…?" she asks, her voice sounding somewhat on edge about the up-and-coming awaited response.

"Of course I want that - I…" Piper pauses, unsure how to continue. "I think I'm falling in love with you, Alex."

Moving closer so that their faces are inches apart, Alex bites her lower lip.

"That's funny… because I think I'm falling in love with you too."

Leaning forwards, Piper connects their lips in an emotional union.

"I've wanted to tell you that _so_ badly," the blonde says after pulling away slightly, her left hand caressing Alex's jaw.

"I know the feeling, kid."


	23. Chapter 23

"No, it's just until the end of this month," Alex says into the phone from where she's currently sitting up in bed against the headboard.

"I know I should have said something sooner, but Piper needed to come back and I-" she pauses, interrupted by the voice on the other end.

"Of course I'll visit, Mom," she chuckles. "Promise."

Listening to her mother continue to talk on the end of the phone, Alex looks to the empty space on her right, wondering what time Piper must have gotten up. "Mom, I'm gonna have to go… I'll be there, don't worry. See you then," hanging up the phone, the brunette lets out a sigh.

She'd woken up 10 minutes ago to the sound of her ringing phone and immediately noticed the empty space to her right. Placing her phone back onto the nightstand, she reads the time, and in seeing that it's just gone 9:30, she forces herself to get up and search for Piper.

They'd arrived back at the blonde's house the morning before; Piper had put in a request for Alex to return to her security team, and although the brunette initially had her doubts about going straight back into working together, the powerful persuasion - or what she assumes was more threatening than anything - of Piper didn't seem to face any backlash. Moving home proved to suit both parties well, and although they haven't spoken about how things are going to work between them, they already seemed to be more positive compared to the way things had previously transpired.

Walking down the stairs in Piper's apartment, Alex listens out for any sign of the blonde; the lack of sound leads her to question whether she's actually in the apartment to begin with. Once she eventually ventures towards the living area, the brunette stops. On top of a yoga mat, Piper is holding a pose with her back to the door and seems to be completely unaware that she now has company. Alex finds it hard to keep her eyes away from the blonde who is only wearing a pair of gym leggings and a sports bra, with a thin layer of sweat just about visible on her back that's arched in the air as she rests on all fours.

Piper seems to be in a focused state; the brunette isn't too sure how to go about her next move. While standing and watching the oblivious blonde, she decides that voicing something will be the best method - God only knows what kind of backlash she would experience if she went over and touched her.

"I didn't realise you were that flexible?" she comments, causing the blonde's body to visibly jump upwards.

"Fuck, Alex! You scared me!" Piper shouts, turning her head back to find the other woman. "How long have you been standing there?" she goes on to ask, having not heard the other woman come down the stairs.

"Not long," the brunette smiles, walking further into the room. "By all means: continue. Don't let me distract you."

"Did you call your Mom?" the blonde asks through a strained voice as she turns her head back around and continues what she was doing before.

"She called me," Alex responds blandly, finding her eyes wandering over the blonde's position.

The conversation doesn't go any further, but the brunette finds herself unable to move or look away. Piper, meanwhile, seems unphased by the interruption, as she moves onto her feet and bends down - the position, Alex knows, is called downward-facing dog, and she tries her best to prevent a laugh from escaping as she's reminded of the first time she had teased the blonde about the pose's questionable name.

The hilarity of the moment passes by quickly, and Alex's focus again shifts to the blonde's body rather than the idea of what she's doing. It isn't long before her patience snaps, and in a calculated manner, the brunette walks over to the blonde and stands behind her, resting her hands on either side of her raised hips.

Letting out a high-pitched scream of shock, Piper swears down into the floor.

"What the fuck, Al?" she questions, sounding out of breath as she attempts to talk with her head down.

"I couldn't help it," the brunette says in a low voice, eyes scanning the blonde's ass.

"Can you at least let me finish?" Piper asks, trying her best to not give into the tempting feel of the hands gripping her waist.

"I can help you start," she counters, moving her hands around to the front of Piper's hips and attempting to pull their bodies closer together.

"Al-" the blonde tries to resist, but eventually aids the process in pushing her hands off the floor and allowing the woman behind her to pull her body upwards so that her back is against her front.

"You're so hot," the brunette voices into the side of Piper's neck, her hands roaming around the blonde's exposed abdomen.

"I'm all sweaty," Piper comments, yet can't help but throw her head back onto the brunette's left shoulder.

"That doesn't matter," Alex smiles, nibbling on the blonde's neck as she manages to untie the drawstrings of Piper's sports leggings and run her right hand into its waistband.

"Fuck," Piper groans out, biting down onto her lower lip at the feel of the brunette's fingers.

"Look up," Alex says, slowing down the movement of her hand.

The blonde, abiding by the taller woman, lifts her head, and is met by the image of herself and Alex in the mirror above her fireplace.

"Watch," the brunette continues, maintaining their eye contact in the mirror. "Or I'll stop."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alex asks from where she's standing by the blonde's front door, waiting for her to come down the stairs.

"I want them to meet you," Piper shouts back from her room.

"I've met your friends before," the brunette rolls her eyes, hoping the blonde hurries up.

"They know the working side of you, Al," Piper's voice becomes closer to the point in which her figure comes into view.

She's wearing a light pink buttoned shirt, a black pair of jeans, and a matching pair of Chelsea boots.

"But they don't know this side of you," the blonde continues, sliding her hand along the bannister while descending the steps.

"And what side would that be?" Alex smirks, attempting to subtly eye the blonde's moving body.

"The social side," Piper begins, moving in front of the taller woman and placing her hands on her shoulders. "The funny side. The girlfriend side," she concludes, running her right index finger along the brunette's exposed neck.

"I didn't realise I had a girlfriend side," Alex prompts, raising an eyebrow.

"If that's what you want. I mean, I didn't mean to assume-" Piper suddenly freezes, worried she may have crossed a line.

"It's okay," Alex interrupts, placing her hands on the blonde's hips. "I'd love to be there showing my _girlfriend side_," she smiles, mirroring the image of Piper's bright teeth before being pulled into a kiss.

* * *

**I know it's short, but I'm going through some writer's block (ideas are very welcome...!) **

**We're living a dangerously crazy environment at the minute. Break the curve. Be grateful for doctors. Be grateful for nurses. Be grateful for those around you.**


	24. Chapter 24

For the first time in what feels like forever, Piper feels her body waking up naturally without the stress of needing to be somewhere or a buzzing alarm clock. The room is quiet and a bright light can be seem peaking through the top sides of the closed curtains. Lifting her head slightly so she can read the time, she sees that it's just gone past 10am, which causes her to let her head hit the pillow with a light smile covering her lips.

Over the last two months, she'd worked her ass off in the final stages of her current case that seemed never-ending, and although the outcome eventually prove rewarding, the fact that it's now over is relieving. No longer having people breathing down her neck seeking answers she can't always give us a plus; and the fact that she no longer has to keep up formalities with Alex is an added bonus.

A part of her felt sad that they no longer will be working with one another, but if it meant they have a freedom that they didn't quite have before, that no longer mattered.

With her thoughts now inevitably fixating on her girlfriend, the blonde is reminded that she isn't in her bed alone. They'd gone out the night before - well, tried to - to celebrate the end of their time working together, but by the time they got home, they both practically collapsed into bed - the toll of their final working week making itself known.

Not wanting to turn her body over quite yet, Piper moves her left arm behind her, seeking Alex's body. Her fingers come into contact with - what she thinks is - the brunette's leg, and in feeling no sudden movements from the woman behind her, she assumes Alex is well and truly still asleep. Like herself, the other woman probably doesn't get a whole lot of sleep, but, then again, that's a part of having the jobs they have.

Wanting to check if her theory is correct, the blonde reluctantly shuffles her body so that she's now lying on her back. Turning her head to the left, she sees Alex too lying on her back, except her right hand is resting against her stomach and her left is hanging off the edge of the bed. Her face is turned to the left with her dark hair splayed against the pillow, contrasting with the light blue pillowcase underneath it.

Despite their relationship being what is considered new, Piper finds herself growing to love more and more about the woman next to her everyday; she's just waiting for the right moment to let her know. Just thinking about voicing her feelings makes her feel restless. Wanting to see those familiar green eyes spurs her on for what she's about to do next.

She tries her best to be quiet, but by the time she manages to land in a position where she's lightly straddling the other woman's hips, the brunette begins to wake up.

"Hmm, what're you doing?" Alex groans, her voice rough from sleep as she moves her neck around, almost as though protesting before she even knows what's going on.

"Saying good morning," Piper says through a smile, enjoying watching the woman below her struggling to fully open her eyes.

"How about we go back to bed?" the brunette counters, despite her hands moving to rest on Piper's hips.

"Sleeping isn't what I want to be doing right now," the blonde continues, moving her hands up Alex's t-shirt, resting her hands on her abdominals.

"God, Piper," Alex squeezes her hands.

The blonde, meanwhile, leans back slightly and moves her hands to her own t-shirt, pulling it over her body to reveal her naked torso.

She enjoys watching the cogs turn in Alex's head as she eyes her body, hands further betraying her words as she moves them further up her sides.

"Pipes," the brunette begins, clearly about to question the other woman's intentions.

"Shh," Piper counters, leaning down to connect their lips, causing Alex's sentence to be forgotten in an instant.

Again, she feels Alex's hands roaming her body, and by the time she feels them reach her breasts, her hips thrust forward. She can feel the brunette's lips turning up into a smile at the action, and if anything, it reminds her of her original plans.

Shuffling back slightly, Piper lifts herself so that she can remove the shorts she had worn to bed, and returns to her previous position. She can see Alex's wandering gaze - most likely wondering what her next intentions are, and that answer is revealed when she begins to pull the brunette's t-shirt further up her body, not entirely removing it.

Adjusting her body and shifting her hips forward, the blonde lets out a groan once her centre comes into contact with Alex's abdomen.

"This is new," the brunette comments, clearly impressed with the spontaneity of what's happening.

Piper, meanwhile, immediately feels herself crumbling at not only the sensation, but at the fact that she's finally fulfilling a fantasy that she's been imagining since the first time she saw Alex's exposed torso.

She can tell she isn't the only one enjoying what's currently happening; Alex seems to be struggling where to keep her eyes - whether they're fixed on her face, her moving body, or her hips sliding along her stomach.

Placing her hands over Alex's chest despite the fact that it's still covered with her shirt, Piper begins to move faster as her breathing starts to further pick up.

"Here," Alex says, moving a hand from Piper's body down to her centre.

"No," Piper pants out, immediately moving her right hand from her girlfriend's body to grab her wrist, preventing her from making contact.

She knows Alex is loving how this looks - the fact that she is literally fucking herself on her body, but she can't help it.

Throwing head back, delivering a litany of encouragement along with Alex's name into the ceiling, the blonde eventually lets go of Alex's wrist, instead moving her hand back to rest over her breast.

She can hear the brunette's sleep-ridden voice relaying all sorts of dirty things, and she knows at this point that there's no turning back.

"Oh, Alex," Piper lowers her head, establishing eye contact. "Fuck, I'm gonna," she adds, not caring about the volume of her voice.

What happens next, however, is like having a bucket of cold water thrown all over her. And not in a good way.

"Oh god, Piper!" a feminine voice shouts, nearly equalling the volume of Piper's prior moans.

"Fuck," the blonde responds to the intrusion, immediately recognising the voice belonging to the last person she'd want to see nevermind hear from right now.

Freezing the movement of her hips, she dives her body off Alex - grateful she made the decision to keep the brunette's t-shirt from covering her breasts - and grabs the duvet, pulling it over her body. She can feel Alex's hands on her body under the duvet, as though trying to help cover her up and tell her everything is going to be okay, but there's not many things that will help the fact that her mother had just walked in on her naked. Walked in on her having sex, more specifically, with a woman.

"Mom," she says, hating the fact that she has to try and catch her breath. "What're you doing here?!" she asks, her tone of voice giving off signs of both embarrassment and confusion.

Her mother, with her back turned towards the bed, still doesn't turn around - probably out of fear in seeing more than she already had done.

"Your father and I are visiting for the weekend," her mother says, sounding uncharacteristically surprised.

"Let me get dressed. I'll be right out," Piper responds, feeling as though she wants the ground to swallow her whole.

"Your _friend_ can stay here while we have a word," her mother comments before leaving the room - still not looking back - and closing the door behind her.

"Fuck," the blonde says, throwing her head back into the pillow behind her, closing her eyes.

"She seemed charming," Alex adds, trying to add some humour to the situation.

"Alex, my mom just walked in on us fucking. Now isn't the time," Piper says throwing the covers back and jumping out of bed.

"Well, I wouldn't say _we_ were fucking. It was more so you using my body to get yourself off," the brunette counters while the blonde rushes about the room to find a suitable outfit to throw on.

"Shut up," Piper replies, hooking her bra on.

She can tell this isn't going to be a pretty conversation. Knowing her parents, they will do everything in their power to quiz her about her life decisions, but if there's one thing she's certain about, it's that she isn't going to back down from defending her relationship.

* * *

**I know it's short, but I really want to get this finished (which it definitely will be). **


	25. Chapter 25

**I know it's short, but this is the final chapter. I didn't want to overdo anything, so I hope this is fitting enough of an ending for you all. **

* * *

Making sure she's presentable, Piper rushes out of her bedroom, hoping for the life of her that this conversation isn't going to be as bad as she thinks it will be.

Rounding the bottom of the stairs, she hears the sound of movement coming from the kitchen. Letting out a heavy breath in preparation, the blonde walks barefoot along the hardwood floors and into the room where she finds her mother sitting at one of the stools, giving her a look she can't quite decipher.

"Morning," Piper says, testing the waters for how this conversation is going to go.

"Just about," her mother says, looking at the watch on her wrist.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Piper says, knowing they should tackle the topic head on rather than avoid it.

"Is she your-" her mom pauses, obviously uncomfortable at the thought of what she had witnessed.

"Girlfriend. Yes, she's my girlfriend."

She watches her mother let out a sigh and adjust a piece of hair that moved out of place.

"How long?"

"A couple of months. I've known her for longer than that. Alex was my bodyguard," Piper pauses, seeing her mother's eyes widen slightly at the revelation. "You met briefly when she came with me last time I visited," she adds, recalling the fact that Alex had indeed met her parents for all of a few seconds when she joined her on her trip to Connecticut some time back.

"I remember," Carol pauses, wetting her lips with her tongue. "Back then. Were you…?" she begins to ask, but Piper cuts her off.

"No, we were strictly professional," she responds, despite the fact that it's not entirely true. At the time, they had been professional enough, but that didn't stop the longing glances and overriding fantasies. "My case ended so her job assignment recently ended. We have nothing to hide," she adds, knowing the next set of questions that were bound to come her way.

"I see," her mother again takes a moment to think, and Piper wonders why she hasn't yet raised her temper. "Were you going to introduce us at some point, or just keep this to yourself?"

With her eyebrows raised, Piper leans her hip against the kitchen counter opposite where her mother is seated.

"Well, um," she stutters, having not expected that response. "I thought you wouldn't be that… accepting."

"I know we've given you a hard time, Piper, but we're not horrible humans," her mother smiles lightly, and Piper wonders where there's going to be a catch.

"You mean that?" the blonde asks, her tone a lot quieter than it had been before.

"You're my daughter, Piper. That's all that matters," Carol says, her smile growing. "Your father and I are here for the evening," she continues, and Piper senses the other woman can tell she isn't too sure what to respond. "Would yourself and Alex like to come to dinner with us?"

Although she hasn't had the greatest relationship with her parents, Piper is surprised by her mother's words. Having dinner with her parents isn't the most exciting way she thought she would be spending her evening, but if it meant they would make an effort with herself and Alex, she gathered it couldn't be the end of the world.

"I would love that," she smiles. "And I'm sure Alex will too."

"Okay, great," her mom says, standing abruptly. "I do have a hair appointment in half an hour though."

At this, Piper is again reminded that despite what seems to be a change of heart on her mother's part, she will always be the waspy woman that raised her.

"I'll call you with the reservation information," she adds, starting to walk towards the front door.

"Sure," Piper follows, watching her mother rush to the door.

She would normally be annoyed about the fact that her mother supposedly came to visit knowing she would have to leave so soon, but after the conversation they had had, that's the last thought on her mind.

"Mom," the blonde says, causing the other woman to turn around as she pulls the door open. "Thank you," she concludes, wanting her mother to know she appreciated the nature of the conversation they had just had.

"I'll see you later, Piper," she smiles, not addressing her daughter's sentiment, despite them both knowing she acknowledged it.

Now again with just herself and Alex in the apartment, Piper leans against the door, laughing to herself as she thinks about what had just happened.

* * *

"Hello," a voice echos through the apartment, loud enough for Piper to hear from where she's sitting on the living room sofa.

"In here," she shouts back, eager to ask about how the other person's day had been.

"Hey," Alex smiles as she appears in the room, dressed in just her white shirt and black trousers. "You working hard?" she adds, clearly joking given the fact that the blonde is wearing one of the brunette's old t-shirts and a pair of pyjama shorts.

"Very," Piper straightens her back, making it easier for their lips to meet in a greeting. "How was it?" she asks, knowing the other woman must be expecting her questions.

"They want me on the job," Alex reveals, taking a seat on Piper's right, sinking into the comfort of the leather sofa.

"Are you happy about that?" the blonde asks, tucking her left leg under her body as she turns to face the woman next to her.

"Kind of," she huffs, clearly tired from a long day of meetings. "I'm not looking forward to the hours, but I guess working with you again is a plus," she smiles, turning her head to the left to eye Piper.

"You guess?" Piper tilts her head, biting down on her bottom lip. "We're gonna have to do a lot better than that."

After a few moments of silence, the blonde reaches a hand over and rests her right over Alex's left. She brushes her fingers along the smooth skin, focusing on the silver band covering the brunette's ring finger. Proposing to Alex had been the most daunting thing she can say she's ever done, and considering the line of work she does along with the background she came from, that really says something.

It's been just over 2 years since they officially became a couple, and although things had initially started out far from easy, since Alex moved into Piper's apartment coming up to a year ago, things have been the opposite.

It wasn't until the week before that Piper agreed to assist with some legal work on an up-and-coming case, and for the first time since the days they had met, the couple's paths again crossed in the working world.

"Are you going to tell your employers about us?" Alex asks, knowing that the woman next to her is working with a new group of people compared to some of her usual jobs.

"What? That we're getting married?" she asks, despite knowing that's what the other woman means; she just enjoys hearing Alex talk about it.

"Yeah," Alex smiles, knowing what Piper is up to.

"Of course," the blonde adjusts her hand so that their fingers are now linked. "I think we both figured out how bad we were at hiding things the first time round," she chuckles. "Plus, if there's a problem, I'll quit. They need me, not the other way round."

"Damn, you're cold, Chapman," Alex jokes, leaning her head back against the sofa as she watches her fiancée smile.

"Don't you forget it," Piper responds, using their hand connection to hoist their bodies closer and kiss Alex on the lips. "Race you to the bedroom," she adds, quickly standing up and attempting to dart out the room.

Alex, however, unsurprisingly has the much faster reflexes. She stands and reaches out her arms just as Piper moves to run past her, and wraps her arms around her torso from behind, lifting her feet off the floor slightly.

"Nice try."

"You know it's hot when you do that," Piper turns her head back onto the taller woman's shoulder, feeling her voice vibrate as Alex continues walking.

"I know," Alex smiles, her mouth against the blonde's neck.

"Just don't drop me," Piper comments, knowing what the other woman's like.

"Would I ever do that?" Alex asks, sarcasm running through her tone of voice.

"Well if you do, you can go marry someone else."

"I think it's a risk I'll take," Alex concludes, enjoying the sound of Piper's laughter as she flexes her arms around her body, squeezing them closer together.

* * *

**So that's the end of this one! Thanks to everyone for the kind reviews and PMs - it's nice to know people enjoy my work. **

**I'll be finishing my other story, _Bring Her In_, and then there will be a new one coming out. I'm aiming to plan and write it all out start to finish before uploading the first chapter, but I might let me excitement get the better of me. **

**Thank you again!**


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